Piece of the Puzzle
by Blue Baby Blanket
Summary: Sakura married Sasuke. Naruto, having lost his only love risks his life to end the threat of Akatsuki. Awakening from a coma caused by the effort, he meets their daughter, Momo, who decides that Naruto, the man her parents respect most is the one for her.
1. Picking Up The Pieces

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 1: Picking up the Pieces

It was a warm summer day and the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto was walking through the former Uchiha district. He was wearing the traditional robes of office and the fancy hat that came with it.

As he passed alongside the inhabitants they smiled or waved at him. He stopped to talk with a few of them. Naruto had promised himself that when he became Hokage he would find time for everyone in the village.

The district had long ago been opened to the public. It was not just the Uchiha who lived here now, but several families from different clans. There were ninja and civilians living together. The new district was almost its own town.

There were bakeries, blacksmiths, bookstores, restaurants, a medical clinic, school, library, grocery stores, and shinobi supply shops. Of course, the military police headquarters was still here. Uchiha Sasuke himself was the police chief. His wife, Uchiha Sakura ran the local clinic.

The two of them had been married for twenty-seven years, and were dating for two before that. Naruto did not ponder the painful memories of those years for long. They were in his past, in his old life and he left them behind.

Naruto himself was now forty-five years old, but due to his Uzumaki vitality he did not look a day over twenty-five. It was estimated he would have originally lived to be over a hundred and fifty.

After using the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon's chakra so much over his lifetime and its forced acceleration of his already fast healing that estimate was now at only a hundred. That was still amazingly long by ninja standards. It was surmised his aging would continue, but only at half the normal rate.

As Naruto strolled along he inevitably came by the main family house. Sasuke and Sakura had moved into Sasuke's old home when they got married. Sasuke, having finally put his family's spirits to rest was able to reside in his former house in peace.

They raised six children in that home. All of them with the exception of their youngest had moved out and were either living on their own, dating or married with kids of their own. Their oldest child, twenty-six year old Momo lived just next door. The house was a wedding present from her parents. They wanted Momo and her husband to stay close by.

Momo herself was quite the beauty. She had her mother's pink hair, which unlike Sakura she kept very long, much like one Uzumaki Kushina once did. She also had her father's eyes, as she possessed the sharingan.

In looks though, Momo was almost the spitting image of Uchiha Mikoto, Sasuke's mother. She was very popular among the boys growing up, and her husband was the target of jealousy from many men in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Since Sasuke and Sakura were busy at work Naruto decided to pay Momo a surprise visit. He very sneakily approached her house and snuck inside, the occupants none the wiser.

Inside Naruto found Momo with her two children. They were a five year old boy named Hayao and a three year old girl named Himeko.

They both had their mother's eyes, but Hayao seemed to look more like his paternal grandfather and had the same colour hair as his father.

Himeko looked more like her maternal grandmother, but instead of the shade of pink shared by her mother and grandmother, she had strawberry-blonde coloured hair.

Naruto tried to sneak up on Momo to surprise her, but she had gotten used to his antics and knew he was here the moment he stepped into the house. She merely turned away from the kids to greet him.

"What are you doing here?" Momo questioned him. "Aren't you supposed to be at work, mister Hokage?" She further interrogated him.

"Can't a guy take a break to see his family?" Naruto asked her back.

With that he moved over to their kids to greet them. Momo just shook her head, being used to her husband's antics.

"Daddy!" Hayao and Himeko shouted while running into their father's arms.

"I missed you tykes. It's been almost, what, four whole hours since I last saw you two?"

Naruto's children did not respond, they just tried their best to scramble over their father while giggling in glee. Naruto lifted Hayao onto his shoulders and carried Himeko in his arms.

"So if you're here, who's running the village?" Momo asked her husband.

"I've got a shadow clone watching over Konohamaru while he takes the reins. He's going to have the job soon, so he could use the practice." Naruto responded to his young wife.

"Well, as long as you're here, I'll start lunch. Who wants ramen?" Momo asked, knowing full well the answer.

"We do, we do!" Naruto, Hayao and Himeko all shouted back. With that the Uzumaki family settled in for a nice, home cooked lunch.

As they ate Naruto gazed at his beautiful wife and adorable children. At one point in his life he did not think he would ever be this happy. When his first love, Sakura, married his best friend, Sasuke, Naruto thought he would never love again. Little did he know Sakura was not his true love, just a piece of the puzzle.

* * *

That night Naruto was preparing to put the children to bed. They were still wide awake, having inherited their father's stamina. Momo was over at her parent's house. She was not feeling well and went to get a check-up from her mother.

Since it was too late to exhaust the kids by playing with them, Naruto decided to tell them a story.

"Alright kids," Naruto began, "since you won't go to bed how would you like to hear a story. I could read you _Tales of a Gutsy Ninja _by your great-grandfather Jiraiya. Or how about _The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya_, the book I wrote about him after he passed away?"

Hayao and Himeko thought it over, then quietly chatted amongst themselves. As much as they liked the stories about their grandparents and great grandparents, there was one story about a couple they had not heard yet.

"Umm," Himeko said in her cutest voice, "we would like to hear the story of how you and mom got together." She even did the puppy dog eyes to make it even more irresistible.

Naruto crumbled immediately in the face of that combo. His little daughter had him wrapped around her finger. Even Hayao knew that, and had his sister do it on purpose.

"All right, I'll tell you that story. I never told it to you before since the time just before we first met is something I don't like to remember. Not to mention that just us being together is a bit unusual." Naruto explained, taking a deep breath before he continued. "You guys know I'm older then your mother, much older right?"

Hayao and Himeko just nodded in reply.

"Well, normally men my age don't get together with women as young as your mother. We got together as a result of some unusual circumstances."

Seeing his kids rapt with attention now he continued his story. They would be so enthralled by him they would stay quiet too, which was nice.

"Alright, it all begins way back when your grandpa Sasuke and grandma Sakura got together. You see, back in the day the three of us were team-mates. We were team seven, led by Hatake Kakashi, the future Sixth Hokage, and student of the Fourth Hokage, who was my father and your grandfather."

Hayao and Himeko perked up at that. Between their Uchiha, Uzumaki and Namikaze heritage they were practically royalty in the Hidden leaf Village, not to mention how Naruto grew to consider Tsunade and Jiraiya as his grandparents as well. Naruto and Momo worked hard to make sure Hayao and Himeko did not become spoiled or develop an ego from it.

"I used to have a huge crush on your grandma Sakura back then. However, she was in love with your grandpa Sasuke, and that would never change. So when they started dating when we were sixteen I was really broken up over it."

Naruto sighed. Even though he had a new family now and the perfect woman there were some pains that never went away.

"I knew then I would never get her to feel the same about me that I did about her. With that dream gone I focused on my other dream of becoming Hokage. Since being around them was too painful I resigned from team seven and enlisted in ANBU. I was going to dedicate myself to my training and performing missions to prove I was right for the job."

Naruto had a fierce look of determination in his eyes then. All the energy he once put into chasing after one dream was shifted to another. His resolve further enhanced, nothing would stop him. Well, almost nothing.

"I did nothing but train and do missions for the next two years. I stopped speaking to your grandparents, but I did see Kakashi-sensei for help quite often. It wasn't until they were about to be married that I saw them again."

This memory was painful, but at the same time it was a happy one.

"I thought they were just going to ask me to come to the wedding, but your grandpa Sasuke asked me to be the best man. I was really surprised. I thought about saying no but I said yes without even realizing it. I had a habit of doing that."

In retrospect Naruto did that quite a lot. For once though, it worked out for him.

"In the end I was glad I did it. The wedding was really beautiful, and being there for them actually helped me get over a lot of my pain. It helped me accept what had happened and allowed me to move on. I decided to ask for some vacation time to start looking for a girlfriend of my own. That's when things went bad."

Bad was a massive understatement for what happened to Naruto next.

"I had gotten word from one of my contacts in the spy network I had set-up while training with Grandpa Jiraiya. The real leader of the Akatsuki was planning on starting the next great ninja war. He had gathered a large number of clones of one of the Akatsuki members and was using a forbidden technique to sacrifice them to create an army."

Naruto had to repress a shudder at the thought of what he saw. Over a hundred thousand clones of Zetsu, all being used as sacrifices for the Summoning: Impure World Resurrection to revive an army of the strongest ninja who ever lived.

The revived ninjas were then to be put under control of Uchiha Madara, and be used to conquer the Elemental Nations. Naruto made sure not to mention his name. He didn't want his children to know they had been related to such a despicable man. Sasuke himself purged all records of Madara that he could find, as he felt the same.

"The original members of Akatsuki had been defeated, but their true leader was going to accomplish what they could not. I had to make a choice. Reveal what I had learned and risk everyone's lives in a large scale battle, or take on the army myself and wipe them all out to the last man."

The answer was easy for Naruto. He was always the self sacrificing type, and would never risk someone else's life. He would fight the army on his own. Was he doing it to be a hero, or was he seeking his own death without even realizing it?

"Using the vacation time I requested I left to fight the army by myself. Between my own army of shadow clones, the flying thunder god technique, sage mode and the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon's chakra they stood no chance. I didn't stop until I beat every last one even when the last of my strength was gone and I was dragging myself by my chin I didn't give up."

Naruto was exaggerating about that last part, although he did end his fight with Gaara like that.

"In the end I won, but I was completely exhausted. I used up all my chakra, and was using every last drop of the fox's chakra that I could. It helped heal my wounds faster, but eventually I couldn't take the strain of using it any longer and my body began to break down."

Although Naruto had managed to separate the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon's will from its power, making its chakra safe to use, there was still a limit to how long his body could tolerate not only its use, but how much he could force his body to keep healing to stay at full strength.

"That was the weakness of using it. I couldn't handle it for long and it started burning away at my body. At the same time it was healing it too, so I had to use it to keep going. If I stopped, I would have been beaten."

Near the end of the fight Naruto had summoned the last of his strength for one last desperate gamble, risking his life in the process. It succeeded, but at a great cost.

"Luckily I had left a message behind to warn everyone of the threat from Akatsuki. It told them of the army and that I was going to fight it myself. If I didn't come back by a certain time that I was dead and had lost, and they should prepare for war. To be honest, a part of me thought I wasn't going to survive, but I would take down as many of them as I could before anyone else risked their lives to stop them."

It was a stupid and foolish thing to have done. Just what someone should have expected from him.

"They ended up finding me, and the remains of the battlefield. I was barely alive, and spent the next twelve years in a coma. Grandma Tsunade retired from being Hokage to look after me and make Kakashi the Sixth Hokage. If it wasn't for her I may have never woken up again."

Kakashi was reluctant to become Hokage, but he knew Tsunade was needed elsewhere. While Tsunade was looking after Naruto she also took over the hospital and started her medical ninja program. In a way, it worked out for the better.

"My chakra coils had been severely damaged so my ability to use chakra was impaired. Grandma Tsunade spent most of the time I was in a coma trying to fix that. That's why my healing didn't help me, it's dependant on my chakra, which is what needed to be fixed in the first place."

Naruto's chakra coils took years to fix. His body itself was fine after a short time. The constant forced healing it went though did cause an unfortunate side effect.

"Grandma Tsunade had finally managed to repair my chakra coils, and eventually I woke up. They discovered that my Uzumaki heritage is what kept me alive. Since we live so much longer then normal I was able to survive the amount of forced healing I went through. It did cost me a third of my lifespan. I've still got plenty of life left in me though so don't worry."

The thought of knowing his children had inherited not only his healing factor, but lifespan was very comforting for Naruto. His family would be healthy and safe for a long time. He would regret not being there to see his descendants grow up, but aging at the same pace as Momo and knowing he would not have to live without her brought solace to him.

"I spent the next year in recovery. I hadn't moved in so long so my muscles had atrophied. I could barely move, and spent a lot of time just trying to do simple things. I had to learn how to walk all over again. I didn't give up though, and pushed myself to regain my lost strength. Eventually I was well enough to leave the hospital and re-enter society."

What Naruto did not say was how he also spent a lot of time getting psychiatric help. Tsunade thought he might be a suicide risk and worked hard to insure that would not happen.

"The day I was released your grandparents were there to meet me. I had breakfast with them and they told me about everything that happened to them over the years. We spent the whole morning together. Just after lunch we went to the academy so I could see Iruka-sensei. It was the day of genin team assignments so he would be free for the afternoon."

Remembering that day brought a smile to Naruto's face. He enjoyed spending time with Sasuke and Sakura. Seeing how they looked older made him feel young, but also reminded him of how much he would outlive them by.

That was not the only memorable part of the day. Although he did not think much of it at the time, his life was changed that day by a chance meeting.

"I guess that brings me to the real start of the story, the moment I met your mother. I remember it as if someone used a flashback technique…"

* * *

Authors Notes: This is the slightly revised version of the original chapter. All chapters of this story have been edited to correct a few minor errors and make small changes, like the names of Naruto and Momo's children.

The inspiration for this story is "They all Fall Down" by AzureEmpire and is listed in my favourites.

Beauty and Bleeding, another author, has done some fanart of Momo for this fic. Links to her illustrations can be found in my profile. She also runs her own community, Monogamy. If you prefer monogamous pairings or none at all, check it out.

The estimated length for this story is nineteen chapters, and will hopefully be done sooner than later.

Finally, I have decided to change the rating for the story to "T", as there should be no content that would necessitate an "M" rating. That means there will not be any lemons, as I have chosen not to post any stories with such content _on this site_.


	2. Unrequited Love at First Sight

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 2: Unrequited Love at First Sight

_Fourteen years ago, Hidden Leaf Village… _

A new generation of genin had just been assigned to their teams and met their new instructor. Twelve year old Uchiha Momo was one of them. She kept her hair short like her mother, but wore her forehead protector properly. She wore a navy blue t-shirt with the Uchiha crest and a white skirt with black bicycle shorts similar to what her mother used to wear. Momo also possessed a kunai pouch/medical kit which she kept at her side.

Momo was just as skilled as her parents. Possessing a keen memory and great chakra control she had amazing potential. Trained as an illusionary type with basic first aid skills she aspired to be a strong kunoichi like her mother, and possibly even surpass her father.

She had already learned the fire release: great fireball from Sasuke and was very good at it despite having earth as a primary affinity. Affinities were now something that was tested for final year students to give them more time to master them.

Sakura had been working on Momo's chakra control so she would be able to learn and master medical techniques someday. Momo had not yet learned any, but did have a versatile knowledge of the basics, and knew a lot about first aid.

In order to learn the fire release: great fireball from Sasuke she first had to master the intercepting fist fighting style of the Uchiha. It was difficult for her at first since the moves were designed for full-blooded Uchiha, and Momo was only half Uchiha. She eventually found a variant that worked for her by focusing on the speed and evasion skills necessary to survive as a medical ninja in the field.

It was her skill with illusions where she had truly shown. Momo had an innate talent for them. It wasn't surprising, as the Uchiha clan was known for such a skill due in part to the sharingan, and Sakura herself started as an illusionist type. Many said Momo would one day easily surpass Yuuhi Kurenai, who was known as one of the Hidden Leaf Village's best illusionists.

Momo had graduated at the top of her class. Instead of being paired with the lowest ranked student as once was the tradition, she was with an Inuzuka and an Aburame.

Apparently she was to be the illusion support for a hunter team, and would act as the leader, directing her team-mates from safe cover while disorienting their opponents.

Momo had no problems with her team-mates, unlike the other boys she knew. Like her father she was very popular with the opposite sex, and with her pink hair and looks she was considered very cute. Momo however thought little of them.

_'Why don't those boys spend their time playing with their kunai instead of trying to get me to go out with them? None of them are that great. I've never met a boy who's impressed me. Unless they're as good as my father they're nothing, no one's as good as him.'_

Indeed, Momo was a daddy's girl and thought her father was the strongest man she knew. Thus she was only interested in boys who were stronger then him. That means they would have to be strong enough to be Hokage to get her attention.

Momo was currently with her team, meeting their chunin sensei. It was no longer necessary for a jonin to lead a genin team as the skill level for the lower ranks had increased greatly over the years. This allowed the higher ranked ninja to take on more difficult and thus more rewarding missions.

The four of them were on the roof of the academy, meeting in the same spot where team seven had their introductions nineteen years ago.

Momo's team-mates and instructor had given their introductions. Like Kakashi once did, the chunin asked about their likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams and goals for the future. Momo, unlike her mother actually did something other then blush and giggle.

"My name is Uchiha Momo." She began. "I like tsukemen and learning new ninja techniques. I dislike fanboys and anything that tastes bitter. My hobby is bonsai care. My goal is to be a great shinobi like my parents and my dream is none of your business."

Momo, despite her tough attitude was still a little girl and wanted to keep some things private.

_'I'm never going to meet a great guy who'll help me carry on the Uchiha bloodline. Why can't I find someone with similar interests to mine, who's a powerful ninja, and handsome, and a great kisser…'_

At that point Momo's thoughts trailed off. Her unspoken dream was to find a man to have a family with and pass on the sharingan. Not just any man though, but someone she would genuinely fall in love with.

While Momo was daydreaming about her ideal mate, her instructor had given the team a piece of paper with directions to where they would hold their first training session and dismissed them. Momo absent-mindedly accepted it.

There was no need for the three of them to be examined further. The old tradition of instructors giving an additional test had been done away with once academy standards had increased. If the students made it this far, they were ready to be shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village.

As Momo made her way from the spot where her first team meeting was held to go home she caught sight of her parents coming to pick her up. Momo surmised they must have wanted to find out how her team assignments went. What was unusual was that there was someone else with them.

Walking along with Sasuke and Sakura was a young man who appeared to be in his late teens and was wearing the standard shinobi sandals, grey pants, a black jacket and an orange coat with black flames.

_'Who is that guy? He looks familiar. I know I've seen him before. Let's see, he has blond hair that's kind of yellow like the sun. His eyes are blue, like the sky or ocean. I don't think he's a Yamanaka, his hair and eyes aren't the right shade. He has scars on his cheeks too, they look like whiskers. I'm sure I should know him but from where?'_

For once Momo's keen memory failed her. Caught up in trying to determine where she had seen the mystery blond before she had not noticed her parents' approach.

"Momo, dear, are you alright? You're looking flushed." Sakura inquired as to her daughter's condition, as Momo's face had become red while staring at Naruto.

"She's probably just being affected by the heat. It's been pretty hot lately." Sasuke interjected.

Sakura accepted that, as it was one of the hottest summers in years.

"Yeah, real hot." Momo said as she entered the conversation and averted her gaze from Naruto.

"So dear, how did your team assignments go?" Sakura asked her daughter.

"Umm." Was all Momo could say, too embarrassed to speak.

"Ahem." Sasuke just cleared his throat and tilted his head at Naruto, who was grinning sheepishly.

"Oh I'm sorry; I totally forgot to introduce you. Momo, this is Uzumaki Naruto, the former team-mate of your father and mine, and one of our closest friends. Naruto, this is Momo, our daughter and eldest child."

With that Sakura pushed Momo towards Naruto, as her daughter had become unusually shy for some reason. Naruto bent down to meet Momo at her eye level.

"Hello little Momo, I'm Naruto. It's nice to meet you." Naruto greeted Momo in a familiar sense.

Momo, still blushing, but now from the familiarity in which Naruto spoke to her managed to respond.

"It's nice to meet you too Mr. Naruto." She responded.

Momo had to stop herself from responding in a familiar tone as well since Naruto was her senior, but from the looks of him she thought it might only have been by a few years.

That was when Momo realized what her mother had said. Naruto was her parents' former team-mate. While that would make him the same age as them and not a teenager like she thought, that was not what she was focusing on.

_'I remember where I've seen him now. There were pictures of him in my parents wedding album.'_

Although Naruto had tried to keep a low profile at the wedding, being the best man made that difficult. Now that Momo knew who Naruto was, she remembered what her father used to say about him.

_'Father used to say Mr. Naruto always wanted to be Hokage, and was very close to accomplishing that goal. Father would even say he wasn't strong enough to be Hokage. Does this mean Mr. Naruto is stronger then father?'_

Naruto took that moment to speak up again.

"Well, it was nice meeting you little Momo. I'd like to stay, but I want to visit Iruka-sensei next. I can't believe he's still teaching. See ya!"

Naruto took off then, running into the academy to visit Iruka. Momo could only watch as he ran away.

"Okay, let's go home now. I'll cook us a nice dinner and Momo can tell us how her day went." Sakura said to her husband and daughter.

Momo followed after her parents, not really paying much attention to her surroundings. All she could think of was how she finally met a man who was stronger than her father, and was someone he definitely approved of. Most importantly, Momo was sure Naruto was the man that one day she would want to marry and have a family with.

* * *

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

"That was how we first met." Naruto said to his children, who were still rapt with attention. "I didn't know it at the time, but your mother had fallen for me right away. She knew as soon as she met me that I was going to be hers, just like mom knew the same about dad."

Naruto was not referring to his own parents, although he was thinking of them, but to Sakura and Sasuke. While Sakura fell for Sasuke right away, Naruto's mother Kushina thought his father, Minato, was a girly boy and unreliable.

He had grown closer to Sasuke and Sakura over the years following his recovery and his time with Momo that he now saw them as the parents he never had instead of his former team-mates. The first time he addressed them as such no one even noticed as it seemed so natural to do so.

Naruto thought about how both Momo and Sakura knew that he and Sasuke were the men for them.

_'It's kind of beautiful in a way how they both could tell who their soul mates were so quickly and not worry about spending years searching for that person. It was like love at first sight, even if it took me and dad took years to reciprocate our eventual wives' feelings.'_

Naruto, remembering his first train of thought looked down at Himeko.

_'Would she be just like her mother and grandmother? Will she be able to tell who she's going to spend the rest of her life with so easily?'_

Naruto silently vowed to himself to carefully watch his daughter very carefully whenever she was around another boy before continuing his story.

"I spent the next six months adapting to all the changes over the past thirteen years. I stayed in the village the whole time, learning about everything that had happened and what I missed out on. I got back in touch with all my old friends, and paid my respects to those who weren't around anymore. I didn't see your mother again until the next chunin exams, which took place in our own village that year."

* * *

Authors Notes: I had a hard time stretching this one out to an acceptable length.

Tsukemen is dipping noodles. It's like ramen, but the noodles are separate from the broth. Bonsai are those little trees in pots.

If anyone's curious about the familiar address part, if I was using honorifics Naruto would have added chan to Momo's name. He was just doing it because she's a kid, but Momo took it differently. I didn't like using little, but it was as close as I could get.

Looking back on my note about the chapter length, I should have just made this chapter and the first chapter one long chapter. Oh well, that's just a consequence of making it up as you go. Writing out multiple chapters at once, as I'm getting into the habit of doing lately, helps to avoid problems like that.


	3. Oh, Teach me, Master Naruto!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 3: Oh, Teach me, Master Naruto!

_Fourteen Years Ago, Uchiha clan private training grounds…_

It was the month before the finals of the chunin exams. Momo and her team-mates had all made it to the finals. This was her chance to prove she was a powerful kunoichi, and hopefully a certain someone would notice it as well.

The preliminaries had just ended. Unlike in the past, their opponents would not be revealed until the day of the finals. This led to Momo's current situation.

Her sensei was called away for mission duty. Even if her sensei was available, he would not be able to teach all three of his students at once. There was a possibility they would fight each other as early as the first round, so they would have to train separately to keep their secrets.

Her team-mates were training with their clans. Momo would have to get help from her parents. She did not mind, they were two of the strongest people she knew. The only one stronger was Naruto, but he would be too busy to have time for a genin like her.

Momo sighed to herself, and went to the training grounds near her home. They were private property as it was part of the Uchiha district so she would be able to train in peace. She looked forward to learning new illusions from her mother or fire techniques from her father.

Momo had been informed by her chunin sensei that her parents had made arrangements for her training and wanted to meet her here.

Arriving at the private grounds, she was a bit disappointed to see that only her mother was there. She had been worried that might happen, as both her parents had important jobs that did not give them much free time. Sakura was the first of them to speak.

"Hello dear, I'm glad you made it on time. I'd just like to say again how proud your father and I are of you for making it to the finals in your first, and hopefully only chunin exam."

Momo was always happy to receive praise from her parents. She strived to make them proud.

"Thank you mother. What are you and father planning for my training? I was hoping I could learn some illusions from you or fire techniques from father."

Sakura was expecting Momo to be enthusiastic about the possibility of learning from her parents, which made what she had to do next very difficult.

"Straight to the point I see. Unfortunately both of us are very busy with our careers, so we won't be able to train you ourselves. We can still give you advice and assist you in our free time so don't worry."

Momo was upset, but expected as much.

"So, who is going to help me then?" She asked her mother.

"That's where I come in!" A voice unexpectedly shouted from out of nowhere.

Suddenly a large cloud of smoke appeared in the clearing. As it dissipated the voice started speaking again.

"Now presenting, the toad sage of Mt. Myoboku, host of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, son of the Yellow Flash and the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero, the Hidden Leaf Village's Orange Menace and number one unpredictable, hyperactive knuckle-headed ninja, Uzumaki Naruto! Your new tutor!"

Standing atop a large toad was Naruto, posing to try to look cool. He was now wearing his red sage haori with black flames, grey shirt and pants, black boots and a black equipment vest.

Momo was in shock. She was hoping her parents would find her someone good to prepare her for the chunin exam finals, but she was not expecting this.

Ever since the day she met Naruto she wanted to learn more about him. Momo spent much of her free time discovering everything she could about him. When she heard a rumour he liked girls with long hair she even started growing hers out. It now reached her shoulders, but she kept in in a bun.

Momo had wanted to see him again but between his recovery and her duties as a genin she did not have time. Now she was going to spend a whole month with him!

All Momo could do was stare at Naruto in awe. Sakura, unaware of Momo's feelings mistook this as a sign of surprise over Naruto's antics. Giggling a bit, she called out to Momo and her new tutor.

"Alright you two, I have to get back to the clinic now. I'll see you tonight at dinner Momo. You can tell me and your father how the exams went then. Be a good girl and do as Naruto tells you to do, or he'll have to punish you for it."

Sakura was joking about Naruto punishing Momo. She would never let him harm her little girl. Not that Naruto would ever do anything like that. Otherwise she and Sasuke would not have let him train Momo.

Momo however was having other thoughts.

_'I must be a good girl or master Naruto will punish me. I wonder if he'd spank me.' _She thought to herself, with a faint blush.

Sakura was already walking away by this point. Naruto, himself slightly amused by her comments dispelled the toad he stood on and approached Momo, who was still lost in her fantasy.

"Don't worry Momo, I won't be mean and punish you. Your parents tell me you're a well behaved girl so we shouldn't have any problems. They'd hurt me pretty badly if I did try anything with you anyway."

Momo snapped out of her daydream as the object of her affections started speaking to her.

"Although, if they did try to fight me they would have a real tough time. I wouldn't go easy on them, but then again they might be the only two who could stand a chance against me."

Momo was enthralled by Naruto's statement. She had always thought of her parents as the strongest people she knew. Knowing Naruto could beat them, even with much effort only increased her admiration for him.

"Okay then!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly. "It's time to get started. If I'm going to help you pass the chunin exams and get promoted I'll need to know everything you're capable of. The best way to do that is with a fight!"

Momo's captivation of Naruto was now replaced by nervousness. She, a genin, a rather strong one but still a genin would have to fight the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village? Not only that, what would Naruto think of her if she did not impress him? Would he continue to train her or deem it a waste of his time and leave?

_'No, I can't think like that.' _Momo told herself, steeling her nerves. _'This is my chance to prove myself to him. There's no way I can beat him, I just need to prove I'm strong enough to become a chunin.'_

"Alright, I'll take you on! You better be ready because I'm not holding back!" She stated defiantly as she charged at him.

* * *

The spar, if it could be called one, was over quickly enough. Momo tried her best but Naruto had seen enough. She was worried it was not good enough, but Naruto had other thoughts.

"That was great Momo!" Naruto called out to his new student, who immediately blushed from the praise. Naruto, believing Momo to be turning red from exhaustion, continued his speech.

"Your taijutsu is very good. It'll only get better as you mature. You have good skill with illusions. You're already better then me at them. As for your ninjutsu, trying to catch me off guard with clones and some illusions to hit me with the great fireball was a good tactic."

Momo was very happy with Naruto's assessment of her.

_'I did everything I could to try and land a hit on him. It's not like I thought I would, but it would be nice to have touched him once.'_

Momo's thoughts then turned to fantasies of them practicing their grappling on each other. It appeared she inherited a bit of her mother's wild side.

Naruto was silently observing Momo as she reacted to his praise, and gathered his thoughts on his new student.

_'She keeps getting redder. She must be really tired. I think we can call the work-out off for now.'_

Naruto got up and offered a bottle of water to Momo, who, after finally noticing him poking her with it and not what she thought, drunk it down greedily.

"Well, I've seen enough of your skills for now. Why don't we take a break and get to know each other? I've heard plenty about you from your parents, so if there's anything you want to know about me, go ahead and ask."

Naruto figured that Momo would have wanted to know about his time with her parents on Team Seven back when they first became a team. Momo however, was interested in something else entirely.

_'Do you wear boxers or briefs? What colour are they? Do you wear pyjamas to bed, or just underwear, or nothing at all?'_

Momo pushed her perverted thoughts aside with a reminder to herself to look up her psychology books. Said thoughts could be attributed to the inner persona common to females descended from the Haruno clan, although Momo had not showed signs of having one, yet.

"How did you get to be so strong?" Momo eventually managed to ask.

Naruto didn't waste any time thinking about that and blurted out a response, which was normal for him.

"That's easy! Hard work and guts! Well, it also helps to have a fox demon sealed inside you to increase your chakra reserves, a regeneration bloodline limit and the mass shadow clone technique."

Momo accepted most of that easily.

_'Hard work and guts make sense. Nobody starts off strong; power is earned through sweat and blood. As for guts, well I guess that means not giving up when things get hard. The increased chakra reserves must be nice, although you'd need to work even harder to control them. The regeneration bloodline limit must take care of lactic acid build-up allowing for longer training periods. So how does the mass shadow clone technique help?'_

Naruto could tell Momo was wondering about how the mass shadow clone technique could help a person get stronger. On the surface, all the technique does is create solid clones at a cost of a significant amount of chakra. Aside from being used as a workforce for labour, or reinforcements in battle, the most likely use for the technique in training was as sparring opponents.

_'I guess I can let her in on the secret. It'll be years before she'll be able to use the technique, if at all. Until then, it'll motivate her to bring up her reserves so she can take full advantage of it.'_

"Alright, I've decided to let you know the secret of the shadow clone technique. Once you've learned the technique, you'll be able to progress at a much faster pace. However, the technique has severe drawbacks, so you won't be able to learn it until you become a jonin."

Momo was excited to learn of a secret training technique, but that eagerness deflated upon hearing it was only available to those of jonin rank.

_'I shouldn't be surprised. If there was a way to get really strong everyone would know it. Since only jonin can learn the secret it must be something big. After all, the mass shadow clone technique itself is an A-ranked forbidden technique'_

Momo had learned of the technique's rank by reading the various bingo book entries Naruto had and the listing for his most commonly used techniques. The list was short, but what he frequently used, he used to devastating effect.

"So what's the secret, and what are the drawbacks to it?" Momo asked Naruto.

"First of all, producing shadow clones takes up a lot of chakra. Also, your chakra is divided up among each one you make evenly. So unless you're a chakra powerhouse like me it's too risky to be used in battle without precautions."

Momo thought that was a sound reason.

_'If you use it too much in battle you run the risk of chakra exhaustion. There must be more to it then that.'_

"The second drawback relates to the secret of the technique and its original purpose. You see, when a shadow clone is dispelled, all of its memories are transferred back to the user. You're a smart girl Momo, so why don't you tell me how this can be good and bad."

Momo was momentarily surprised, but quickly began to analyze the new information about the technique to determine its pros and cons.

"Umm, if you gain the clone's memories, it could be used for scouting. You can send a clone into an otherwise dangerous area and not put yourself at risk. On the other hand, if you used it in battle, you might also get the memories of the clone if it gets killed somehow. That could get distracting."

Momo was disquieted by that thought. She imagined sending a clone into a heavily trapped area, only to be engaged by an enemy. Her clone would trigger a trap, and its death, sending the memory of the event back to her. Should the memory of her clone's death also send the feeling of getting killed it could distract her long enough for her opponent to defeat her.

"That's correct. Shadow clones can be very versatile when put to use, but you have to be careful with them. Now, can you figure out how to apply them to training?" Naruto queried Momo.

"I suppose you could have several clones study various books or scrolls to learn at a faster rate. I think you'd probably get a headache though if you did too much."

Momo's answer did not surprise Naruto. Naturally Sasuke and Sakura's daughter would use shadow clones to do more reading.

"That's right, although shadow clones can do more then that. They can help you with chakra control and developing elemental affinities as well. I used shadow clones to master wind manipulation in only a few days."

That bit of information got Momo's attention.

_'I spent months learning how to burn leaves with my chakra just so I could learn the great fireball. I'm still not nearly as good as I need to be for the higher ranked moves.'_

"Really, shadow clones can handle anything but your own physical development, and muscle memory to some degree. So in theory you could just make several clones, assign them to various jobs and spend the day working out. As long as you don't run out of chakra, you can get real strong, real fast."

Momo's mind was now racing with possible uses for the shadow clone technique. It was a good thing she had suppressed her perverted side. One thing bothered her though.

"Umm, if using shadow clones can make someone so much stronger, why don't more ninja use the technique for training?" Momo asked Naruto.

Naruto just blinked for a few moments, trying to come up with an answer.

"I have no idea. I'm not even sure if anyone knows they can be used like that outside of us, Kakashi-sensei and captain Yamato. That's a really good question."

Momo knew from experience that when someone says "that's a really good question" finding an answer would be difficult. Sighing, she decided to move on.

"So, once I become a jonin, will you teach me the shadow clone technique?" Momo sweetly asked Naruto, with puppy dog eyes.

Naruto, for his part, just thought Momo was trying to look adorable so he might consider teaching her the move sooner, which was not far off the mark.

"Yes Momo, I'll teach it to you as soon as you get promoted to jonin. For now though, we need to concentrate on getting you promoted to chunin. Since we just had a sparring match why don't we get something to eat to get our strength back?"

Momo's blush was back in full force now. Her mind was currently racing over the thought of eating a meal with her crush.

_'Calm down, it's not a date! He just wants me to rest and recover a bit before continuing my training. It's not like he's going to take me to my favourite restaurant or anything.'_

Naruto however was going to do just that, although he didn't know it.

"I used to know a great place for ramen, but it changed to a tsukemen bar years back. Do you want to go there? It's called Ichiraku, and I know the people who run it really well."

Naruto took Momo's enthusiastically yelled yes as a good sign that he and his new student would get along very well.


	4. Their First Not a Date

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 4: Their First "Not a Date" and an Important Lesson

Naruto and Momo were currently at the Ichiraku Tsukemen restaurant, formerly the Ichiraku Ramen bar. Ayame turned it into a tsukemen bar after returning from a learning trip. In the years since the business had expanded considerably.

Ayame herself now managed the restaurant after her father retired. Even though she and her father no longer cooked themselves the quality of the food was just as good as it always was.

Naruto and Momo had been given a private table in a secluded area where they could eat in peace. It was a gift from Teuchi and Ayame to Naruto for his years of loyal service, and to celebrate his recovery. Here he could eat all the ramen he could afford in peace and quiet with his friends.

Upon entering the restaurant the two had been immediately led to their table and served their usual meals. It seemed the restaurant now had lookouts on hand to alert the staff whenever Naruto was on his way so he would not have to wait.

Although the restaurant was mainly tsukemen based now, it did still serve ramen as well as other dishes. Naruto was eating a large miso ramen with pork and extra fishcake toppings, and Momo was enjoying her tsukemen.

They had just finished their first bowls, and were taking a break before ordering another round. Naruto decided to use this opportunity to get to know his temporary student better.

"So Momo, you seem to really like tsukemen." Naruto said to Momo.

Momo, who up to now was focusing on enjoying her tsukemen and not on her "not a date" with Naruto was caught off guard. Having finished her meal, she was now trying to avoid imagining herself on a real date with Naruto. Luckily, his question gave her something else to direct her attention towards.

"Tsukemen is my favourite food. My parents took me here once and I've been coming back all the time ever since. It's weird, because my mother and father don't really like it that much. Not only that, but mother doesn't like spicy food and father doesn't like anything sweet, but I do."

Naruto appeared pleased by that response.

"I know what you mean. Ramen is my favourite food, and I've been eating it here since Ichiraku was a small ramen stand and old man Teuchi and Ayame ran it by themselves."

Momo smiled at that. Being alone with Naruto seemed to be easier now that they were in a comfortable environment and discussing something they both enjoyed.

Having found a common ground in a place they both enjoyed the "not a couple" continued to get to know the other better while occasionally stopping for another course.

"So what else do you like?" Naruto asked Momo. "I learned a bit from your parents, but I'd like to hear about it from yourself."

"I like learning new ninja techniques, but mainly because my parents usually teach me and I like spending time with them." She answered.

Naruto appeared to show no reaction to that, but inside he felt a twinge of pain.

_'I never knew my parents. I wonder what I could have learned from them if they survived. If, no, when I have kids of my own I'll teach them everything I know.'_

Naruto then decided to speak up before the silence became uncomfortable.

"I always loved getting to learn new techniques, but it was years before I learned anything good. For what felt like forever I only knew how to do the transformation, replacement, shadow clone, rasengan and summoning techniques. On the plus side I learned to use them very well."

Momo perked up at the mention of the rasengan and summoning techniques. The first was created by the Fourth Hokage, and known only to a handful of ninja. As for the summoning technique, it required a contract and those were rare.

"Do you think you could teach me the rasengan?" Momo asked while trying to look as cute as possible.

Naruto stood no chance against that. His future wife may only be twelve, but she was a very cute twelve year old that no one could say no to.

"Sure I will. It's an A-rank technique that takes quite a bit of chakra and control to pull off though. I don't know if there's enough time for you to master it before the finals, but I can show you the steps to learn it."

Momo smiled at that, and was inwardly cheering.

_'Yes! He's going to show me how to do one of his signature techniques! All I had to do to get him to teach me was just look cute, which is easy for me.'_

It was a good thing for Naruto that Momo did not realize at that point just how easily she could manipulate him. Unfortunately for him, she would eventually.

"What about your summoning technique? Would you let me sign the toad contract?" Momo asked Naruto.

The toads, while typically used for spying by Jiraiya, and later Naruto, were most famous for their use in battle. Particularly the behemoth battle toads, Gamabunta the toad boss, Gamahiro the dual long blade user, and Gamaken, who wielded a pike and carried a shield. Being able to summon them for help would give anyone an edge in battle.

"I'm sorry Momo, but in order to be accepted by the toads as a summoner requires you to summon the toad boss, which takes an immense amount of chakra, and undergo an initiation ceremony, which involves immense amounts of alcohol. You'll have to wait until your older and developed your charka reserves a lot more."

Momo was disappointed by that, and showed it by pouting a little. She actually accepted the explanation, but was hoping to try to get something more out of Naruto.

Naruto, seeing Momo appear upset by his refusal to let her become a toad summoner, tried to cheer her up.

"Don't worry about it. You can still become a hawk summoner like your dad. I think the Uchiha clan even has a cat summoning contract. Sasuke did say that your clan had them as familiars."

That perked Momo up a bit. Hawks and cats did have more uses outside of battle.

"It's actually kind of funny. I really only need to summon the toads for scouting and heavy combat, which I can do just fine with my shadow clones. I would actually be better off with a more specialized summon in an area that I'm weak in." Naruto explained.

"I get it. There's not much point in summoning a giant creature to do your fighting when you can use the chakra needed to summon them just as effectively yourself." Momo replied.

"I take it that's why you wanted to be able to summon toads then. The heavy hitters would be useful to anyone who's not a chakra powerhouse. Too bad you need to be one to summon them."

Momo nodded in reply.

_'There's goes my plan of summoning a giant toad to squish my competition in the chunin exams, and my fanboys.'_

It was a very good thing Naruto had no idea what Momo was thinking, although he would eventually figure her out.

"So what else is there about you? I know your likes, so what else can you tell me about yourself?" Naruto asked Momo.

"What would you like to know?" Momo asked in reply, happy that her crush had so much interest in her.

"Eh, when my team first introduced ourselves to Kakashi-sensei he asked us what our likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams and goals were. I think that would be enough to go by. I already know your likes so we'll just go with the rest"

Momo had an easy answer as she had given it once already.

"Well, since we're skipping likes my dislikes are anything that tastes bitter, and my fanboys."

Naruto chuckled at that.

"I hate bitter foods too. I can't relate to the fanboys since I don't have any. At least I hope I don't."

Momo laughed at that.

"Seriously though, I've never had a fangirl problem, but your dad really did. In fact, your mom was his biggest fangirl."

Momo paled at that as she imagined her biggest fanboy succeeding in his quest for her heart.

_'I will do everything in my power to make sure my fanboys fail miserably. Naruto is the only man for me!' _She thought to herself, while ignoring the voice in the back of her head that said her father probably made the same vow at her age about his fangirls.

Luckily for Momo she inherited quite a few traits from her mother. Aside from being lucky enough to know her future husband at a glance, she would be strong enough to turn down anyone other then her chosen, regardless of the number or strength of their efforts.

"What about your hobbies?" Naruto asked to continue the conversation.

"I like bonsai care. It's nice and relaxing." Was Momo's response.

At the mention of her hobby, Momo took on a relaxed look. Even the thought of it was calming for her.

"Huh, I like watering plants myself. I didn't think we had so much in common."

It was a good thing Momo was in her happy place or the realization of just how compatible she was with Naruto would have put her into mild shock.

"I didn't either." Said Momo.

It was true. Momo had tried to learn everything she could about Naruto, but all she could learn was information related to his career. Personal information like this she could only learn from those closest to him, and she was keeping her interest in Naruto a secret, for obvious reasons.

"So what are your goals in life?" Asked Naruto.

"I want to be a great shinobi like my parents." Said Momo.

Naruto found that answer acceptable.

"I have the same goal as well, but I have to surpass the Yellow Flash and Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. I think you have it easier."

Momo was in a very good mood now. She of course knew of who Naruto's parents were and how strong he will have to become to surpass them. Between that and their obvious compatibility, she was sure she had found the right man for her.

_'He and I are almost perfect for each other! We have so much in common, and he has such strong parents. I can just imagine what kind of family we'll have…'_

Momo's thoughts trailed off once more as they were filled with visions of her dream future with Naruto.

Naruto, still oblivious to Momo's fantasies, which was for the better, asked his final question.

"So what's your dream then?"

Momo, who was coincidently thinking of her dream at that very moment, once more became the shy girl she occasionally turned into in Naruto's presence.

"Umm, it's kind of private." Momo mumbled out in reply.

Naruto didn't pry further. For once, he had a feeling what Momo was thinking of.

_'If Momo is anything like Sakura her dream is get married to her perfect man. Sakura met Sasuke when they were six, so has Momo met that guy yet?'_

Naruto then resumed his cluelessness over Momo's affections towards him. At this point, their next round of ramen and tsukemen arrived, and the future couple began to happily eat their favourite food.

* * *

_Present Day, Uzumaki household…_

"That was our first, "not a date." Naruto explained to his children.

Hayao and Himeko sat in quiet awe of their father. They were putting all of their boundless energy into paying attention to Naruto's story, not wanting to miss a single detail.

"We ended up going on several more over the years, not that I knew that back then, of course. Your mother and I didn't go on a real date until her eighteenth birthday, but that story is still a way off yet." Naruto said.

_'Probably not very appropriate for you two either. I'll have to give a censored version.' _He mentally added to himself.

"So where was I? Oh yeah! We had just left Ichiraku and I was walking your mother home. Before I dropped her off I had one last secret of my strength to share.

* * *

_Fourteen years ago, Uchiha district…_

Naruto and Momo were now standing outside of her house. Naruto turned to Momo, and bent down so he was now at eye level with her. What he had to say now was important.

"Momo, I have one last secret to share with you for how I came to be so strong. This is the most important quality for anyone to have. Before I tell it to you, I need to know one thing."

Naruto took a moment to remember when he was first asked the question he was about to ask Momo. He didn't think much if it at the time, but it ended up leading to one of the most important lessons he would ever learn.

As for Momo, she was anxiously awaiting what Naruto was going to do next. He had grown silent on the walk back, and she was getting nervous.

When they made it to the front door of her house Naruto suddenly lowered himself so they were now at eye level. Now Naruto said he was going to reveal the deepest secret of his strength. Momo's heart was racing at the thought that he trusted her with it. Finally, she was able to respond.

"What do you need to know?" She asked, a bit shyly.

"Do you have anyone special in your life?" He asked in reply.

Momo was taken aback by that, mainly because she misinterpreted what Naruto meant by "special."

_'He wants to know if I have a boyfriend. Does that mean he's interested in me?'_

Naruto continued on, echoing the words of his fallen friend, unaware of Momo's thoughts.

"When people are protecting something truly precious to them, they can truly become as strong as they need to be."

That snapped Momo out of her fantasy and brought her attention back to Naruto.

"Remember this Momo. True strength doesn't come from the number of techniques you know, or how many boulders you can crush with a single blow. True strength comes from within."

Momo was surprised by Naruto's careful choice of words as they seemed to indicate that it wasn't the library of techniques her father knew or the simulated super strength her mother had that made them strong.

"When someone fights only for themselves, they can only count on themselves. When they fight to protect someone or something else, they can count on the support of everyone they hold precious."

Momo nodded as she took in the lesson as if Naruto was revealing to her the secret of life itself.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is you need to find your own reason for being strong. Mine is so I can protect everyone precious to me. Why do you want to be strong Momo?"

Momo thought that over.

_'I want to be strong like my parents so they'll be proud of me and bring honour to the Uchiha name. I want to be strong so I can someday raise a strong family of my own. I want to be strong so I can impress the man I want to have that family with.'_

Having found her answer, she gave it to Naruto.

"I want to be strong for my family." Was her simple reply.

Naruto smiled at that, not needing Momo to elaborate further.

"That's good. I know you'll become strong, and not just from my help, but because you want to become stronger for the right reasons."

Now it was Momo's turn to smile from Naruto's words of encouragement.

"There's just one more thing." Naruto said. "Doesn't all of this sound familiar to you?" He asked Momo.

Momo, being the smart girl she is figured it out right away.

"It's one of the principles behind the Hidden Leaf Village's will of fire."

"That's right. It's the most important lesson for any ninja of the Hidden Leaf to learn."

The sun had begun to set now. Naruto stood up and addressed Momo one more time.

"It's getting late now, so this is it for today. I'll see you first thing in the morning to continue your training. Don't forget what I told you. See ya Momo!"

With those parting words Naruto walked away from the Uchiha Manor and back into the main part of the village.

"Bye Naruto-sensei." Momo replied, a little upset to see him go.

With that she then entered her home to see her family, and prepare for the next day of her training with the man of her dreams.


	5. Momo's Gifts

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 5: Momo's Gifts

It was the next morning after Naruto and Momo's first "not a date." They were meeting in the same training field as yesterday. Momo was the first to arrive as it was almost literally in her backyard. As she waited for Naruto to arrive, Momo thought about how she felt for him.

_'I was hoping he'd get here early today. He could have joined me for breakfast. And my family too, I suppose. Then again, maybe that's a good thing. I don't know if he's met my siblings yet, and I don't want Suika getting any ideas about my man. At least Hikari is too young to be interested in boys.'_

Suika was eight years old, and Sasuke and Sakura's third child. Hikari was four years old, and their second youngest child.

Momo did not have to wait much longer as a gust of wind came billowing into the training field, and Naruto with it.

"Sorry I'm late." He said to Momo. "I had an early morning meeting with Kakashi-sensei."

"It's alright." Momo replied, in awe of how he mysteriously arrived. "Umm, how did you just appear like that?" She asked Naruto.

"Oh, you mean just now?" Naruto asked Momo, who nodded.

"I just felt a strong breeze, and suddenly there you were." She clarified.

"Ah, that was one of special moves. It's called the wind flicker, or to be more specific, it's the wind release: body flicker technique. I combined my wind element with the body flicker technique to create a high speed movement technique. The breeze you felt is just the air displacement caused when I move so fast."

Naruto's explanation of his technique amazed Momo. She knew he was fast; after all he was the son of the Yellow Flash, and the only person alive who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique.

_'To think he had taken a d-rank technique and improved it just by adding his element was amazing. Than again, he did it once before with the wind release: rasenshuriken.' _She thought to herself.

_'I created the technique so I could have my own unique speed move. It's a good thing Sasuke let me study Uchiha Shisui's old journals so I could learn his style and use it in battle like he could with the basic version. I probably shouldn't tell Momo that though, I don't know if she knows how he really died.' _Naruto thought to himself.

"I'll tell you what. If you can show me that you've completely mastered the basic three techniques, I'll show you how to use the body flicker technique. If you're good enough at it, I'll even show you how to use it in battle."

That got Momo's attention. Just like her father and Naruto, all it takes to encourage her was to offer to teach her a new technique.

"I'll do it!" Momo exclaimed.

_'When I do I'll show you how good I am, and then I'll master the body flicker too!' _

"That's great Momo, now let's get started."

With that Momo began working through the basic three techniques as Naruto guided her on how to perform them flawlessly. It took her all day, leaving Momo dead tired and almost out of chakra, but she mastered the basic three. She could now do them in an instant, with no hand-seals or a trace of smoke.

Because of how tired she was, they would not do any strenuous work the next day. Momo needed to rest and recover. Instead they were going to review Momo's skills and determine what her strengths and weakness were. Their goal was to develop a unique fighting style for her.

Naruto's was well known. He would use his many clone techniques to overwhelm an enemy with numbers, then use his speed and close combat abilities to decimate them. He could take down any number of opponents thanks to his considerable chakra reserves.

Not only that, but he was also skilled in water and earth manipulation, and knew many powerful techniques in those elements. Oddly, he had wind as a primary affinity but never used wind manipulation beyond augmenting his speed, taijutsu and kenjutsu.

So it came to be that when Momo was just about to faint Naruto caught her, picked her up and carried her back home in his arms. If Momo had been conscious she would have called the experience the best moment in her life so far.

As Naruto carried Momo back to her home he gathered his thoughts about his current student.

_'Momo really put everything she had into training today. She's as motivated as I was when it came to learning a new technique. She only stopped for lunch. It's a good thing I got take-out from Ichiraku. I've never seen a girl eat so much before.'_

Naruto had purchased several bowls of ramen and tsukemen for lunch that day. Money was no object for him, as he inherited a large amount of money from his parents and Jiraiya, so he could afford to buy take-out for them every day of their training.

_'She's just as skilled as Sasuke was at her age, and has Sakura's determination. Once she sets her mind to something she won't stop until she's achieved her goal.'_

At that point Naruto felt a strange chill run down his spine, but only for an instant before it was replaced by a warm, comforting feeling.

_'What the hell was that?' _Naruto wondered to himself. _'I must be getting tired.'_

By that point Naruto had made it to Momo's home. Sakura was waiting at the door, and took Momo into her arms from Naruto, noting that her little girl was sleeping peacefully, with a smile on her face, which looked very red, probably from exhaustion.

After a bit of small talk between the former team-mates, Sakura carried Momo to her room and put her to bed. That night, Momo dreamt of Naruto carrying her around in his strong arms.

* * *

It was the next day again, and Naruto and Momo were sitting in a clearing. Naruto had a notebook with him, and Momo was curious about it. She still found herself a bit shy in Naruto's presence, and had not asked him what his notebook was for yet.

Not only that, but Momo was still exhausted from yesterday's training, and would not be up for anything too strenuous. Any physical activity for the day would be limited to stretching and a light workout. The rest of their time would be spent analysing her strengths and weaknesses to determine an appropriate fighting style for her.

They had just finished their morning exercises, and Naruto was giving Momo a break to rest. Momo had just guzzled an entire bottle of water, and was now awaiting Naruto's next move.

_'It looks like she's rested enough to be able to pay attention to what I have to say, although she still looks a bit red.' _Naruto thought to himself.

"Okay, remember how I said we were going to examine your strengths and weaknesses, and then figure out what fighting style would work best for you?" Naruto asked Momo.

Momo could only nod in reply, too tired to speak.

"Well, that's what this is for." Naruto said, holding up the notebook.

"I'm gathered everything I could find out about your ninja skills here. It includes information from your parents, academy instructors, and your chunin sensei."

Momo was surprised by that. Being a twelve year old girl with a crush, her mind came to only one conclusion about Naruto's exhaustive research into her skills.

_'He did all that work to learn more about me? Does that mean he's interested in me?'_

Of course Naruto's interest in her was purely professional, as he wanted to do the best job teaching her that he could.

"Let's get started then, shall we?" Naruto said. "I'd like to begin by asking you what kind of ninja you think you are, and what you believe to be your strengths and weaknesses."

That put Momo on the spot.

_'I was expecting him to share what he learned about me. I guess he wants to know what I think of my abilities.'_

"Umm," Momo began nervously, not as tired as she was, but still a bit shy, "I'm primarily an illusionist type. I support my team-mates from a distance while using my illusions to cover them, or disorient our opponents. I can also use the fire release: great fireball as a mid to long range attack, but only if I'm safe, and the enemy is distracted."

Momo thought she summarized her abilities well, and moved on to her strengths and weaknesses.

"Based on that, I'd have to say I'm best at a long range support role, and weakest in close quarters combat. I do have the sharingan though, so it's not that bad."

Naruto's look remained impassive during Momo's explanation, but one she was done he smiled.

"That's very good. It's the same conclusion I came to as well." Naruto said.

It was Momo's turn to smile now, as she was happy that Naruto agreed with her.

"Okay then, since close quarters combat appears to be your weakest point, how do you think we should go about developing your skill in that area?" Naruto asked Momo.

At this point she caught on to what he was doing.

_'Naruto-sensei wants me to figure out the answers on my own. That's why he isn't just telling me what he thinks I should do.'_

"Well, my taijutsu style is as developed as it can be and I have the sharingan to help me. We only have a month to train, so physical development is out, and as a kunoichi I'll have a harder time as a taijutsu fighter anyway, unless I master my mother's super strength technique." Momo said.

She then took a moment to think about how to go about supplementing her close quarter combat skills.

_'Wait, supplement, that's it!' _She thought excitedly to herself.

"I should use my illusions and ninja techniques to support my close combat skills. I already use my illusions to hide myself and disorient my opponents, so I'm good there. I only know one fire technique though, and it's not any good in close range, except for point blank overkill."

Naruto chuckled at Momo's last statement, imagining Sasuke using the fire release: great fireball on Kakashi while right in front of him instead of from a distance during the bell test.

_'That's for the thousand years of death, you perpetually late pervert.' _Naruto thought a bit darkly.

The idea that a ninja of Kakashi's calibre would be able to easily avoid that never occurred to him.

"Okay, so we're in agreement now. The best way to improve your close combat skills is to use your illusions as always, but also add ninja techniques. I know the perfect one as well. Before I tell you it though, I want you to look at this."

With that Naruto handed his notebook to Momo, who accepted it eagerly. She was always happy to have something new to read, and was very curious about what was in it. Momo was not disappointed by what she found.

_'He's got my academy records in here? He must have gotten those from Iruka-sensei. There are statements from my parents and chunin-sensei as well. Huh, what's this?'_

Near the end of her dossier was a bio of her, with all her pertinent information. She read it thoroughly.

Personal

Name: Uchiha Momo

Gender: Female

Age: 12

Birthday: May 5

Height: 150 cm

Weight: 39 kg

Blood type: B

Classification: Illusionist

Bloodline Limit: Sharingan

Affiliation: Village Hidden in the Leaves

Clan: Uchiha

Rank

Ninja rank: genin

Ninja registration: 013607

Academy graduation age: 12

Family

Uchiha Sasuke (father)

Uchiha Sakura (mother)

Nature type

Earth (primary)

Fire (secondary)

Known techniques

Fire Release: Great Fireball

Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique

Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings Technique

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique

Chameleon Technique

Weapons

Ninja wire

Stats

Ninjutsu: 2.0

Taijutsu: 1.5

Genjutsu: 3.0

Intelligence: 3.0

Strength: 1.0

Speed: 2.0

Stamina: 2.0

Hand Seals: 4.0

Total: 18.5/40

Completed Missions

D-Rank: 16

C-Rank: 2

B-Rank: 0

A-Rank: 0

Momo was quite surprised by the amount of information, although not all of it was pleasing.

_'Ack, he knows my weight! I hope he doesn't think I'm fat. I work out lots and eat everything mom gives me.'_

Momo, unlike her mother at her age, ate a well balanced diet and worked out quite a bit. She was in much better shape then the civilian girls her age. Obviously Naruto did not care Momo's weight, but would be impressed by her attitude regarding dieting.

"So what do you think of all that?" Naruto asked Momo.

"Umm, I'm surprised you were able to find our so much about me." She replied.

"Yeah, it's a good thing I have so many connections. What I really want to know is, based on what we know about your abilities, what could you learn that would help you?"

"My genjutsu is good enough, so we need to expand my ninjutsu and taijutsu. Other than that, what else is there?"

Momo's last question was said more to herself, as she kept studying her bio to find it out for herself. Naruto stayed silent, but was pleased Momo was trying to learn the answer on her own rather then just ask him for it.

_'There's nothing in here about my taijutsu skills, but they're not that good. I thought I knew more illusions then that. There's nothing in her about my medical training, but I'm not very far along in that.'_

Momo kept reading her bio, and stopped when she noticed her affinities were listed.

"You said you knew a good ninja technique for me. Since fire techniques are mostly long range, are you going to teach me an earth technique?" She asked Naruto, who smiled and nodded at her.

"That's right. I think it will really help you, and it's one I'm good at as well. I'll be able to help you with the tactics for it too. I won't teach it to you just yet; you still need to rest up. I'll do it soon though. With your sharingan, learning it will be easy."

Momo was excited about getting to learn a new technique, and she had not learned any earth techniques yet. Not only that, since it was one Naruto was skilled with, by copying it from him she would be just as skilled with it, if not more so since earth was her primary affinity.

"There was one more thing I had planned for you. What else can you learn to use to help fight in close range?" Naruto asked.

Momo studied her profile once more, trying to see what she missed.

_'Something about how he phrased that question bothers me. "What else can I learn to use?" It's almost like he's referring to a thing, like a…'_

"…weapon." Momo spoke aloud, the word completing her train of though. "You think there's a particular weapon I could learn to use?" She asked Naruto.

"Yes there is. I've done some research, and I think I know the best one suited for you. Not only that, but we're also going to expand upon your skill with ninja wire. For now though, you've rested enough, so we're going to spend some time running stance drills with these."

At that point Naruto pulled out a scroll, opened it and applied his chakra to a symbol written in it. With a poof of smoke, a pair of tonfa appeared.

"These are called tonfa. They're used primarily for defence, but can hit hard as well." Naruto explained as he showed Momo how to hold them, and then handed them to her. "Not only that, but they're able to conduct chakra. By focusing your earth element into them, they'll strengthen. That will make them harder to break, and cause more damage when you strike an enemy."

Momo was pleased by that.

_'So when I learn how to wield these and develop my earth affinity I'll be able to defend myself better. I wonder if hitting someone with one of these would be anything like what mother's super strength would do.' _She thought to herself.

While Momo was enjoying her new toys, Naruto withdrew another pair of tonfa from his scroll.

"Alright, now that you've got your new weapons it's time to learn how to use them. Turn on your sharingan and copy my movements. Then we'll see how good they work for you."

Momo nodded, and activated her bloodline limit. Her eyes changed from black to red, with two commas in each eye. She then looked at Naruto with her sharingan active for the first time. Momo drank in Naruto's image with glee, the improved clarity from the sharingan making him look, in her opinion, better then ever.

Naruto, oblivious as ever to Momo's thoughts of him, began to run through the basic stances for wielding the pair of tonfa. Momo watched carefully, and then repeated the steps.

They repeated that for the rest of the day, with and without Momo's sharingan active to make sure the movements were ingrained in her completely. They only stopped for lunch, which Momo ate with gusto.

Eventually night came and Naruto once more dropped Momo off at her home. They had been going easier that day so Momo was still awake. Naruto gave her the next day off to rest anyway, since their next training session would be rough.

As Momo took off her ninja sandals, Sakura came to greet her and was surprised to see her daughter with her a pair of tonfa.

"Momo dear, where did you get those?" She asked.

"Naruto-sensei gave them to me." Momo replied, holding them up to show her mother how well she could handle them. "He thought they would help me with my close range fighting, and is teaching me how to use them."

"Well that was very nice of him. Did you thank for him for giving you such a great gift?" Sakura asked Momo.

Momo paused, and then paled a bit.

"No, I was so excited about getting to learn how to use them that I forgot." Momo said with a pout.

Sakura had a look of disappointment on her face, which made Momo sad. She really did not like disappointing her parents. Seeing the saddened look on Momo's face, Sakura sighed and tried to cheer her up.

"Well, I guess since you were so excited it's understandable that you would forget a thing like that. I don't think your father would have thought of doing that and Naruto probably didn't care either."

That elevated Momo's mood a little. Sakura, seeing Momo perk up, went back to the kitchen to finish making dinner for her family.

_'He did seem to be eager to show me how to use them, so he might have been as excited as I was about teaching as I was about learning. Still, I should do something for him. They really are the best gifts I've ever gotten from a boy.'_

Momo, as popular as she was, had received plenty of gifts from admirers before, secret and not so secret. It was mostly girly things, chocolate, or flowers. Momo was not a girly girl like her mother; she could only eat a little bit of chocolate without getting sick, and preferred her bonsai to flowers.

_'I should do something nice for him as a thank you. What would he like though? What does he like?'_

Momo only had to think for a second to figure that out.

_'He likes almost the same things I do. I know just what to do now!'_

Having determined the best possible way to show her thanks for the gift, and maybe more, Momo went to her room to find her savings. She needed supplies, and they would cost money. She could have obtained the money from her parents, but Momo wanted to do this herself.

Momo had to thank Naruto for not only the pair of tonfa, but for all the training he was giving her as well. No doubt her parents had already compensated Naruto for his efforts, but Momo wanted her gift to show how she herself felt. With any luck, someday Naruto would realize that as well.

* * *

Author's Notes: This chapter only had one major change to go with the revisions, and it wasn't all that big. It involved Momo's taijutsu skill. Originally it came off as being much higher than it should have been. It's actually her worst skill but that was not adequately shown. While she does have some skill with ninja wire and her own variant of the Uchiha Clan's fighting style, that's due to necessity rather than choice. It's far from perfect, as she's the first one to use it and it will take time to develop it further. The way the chapter was originally written makes it seem more like taijutsu was her second strongest skill, with her ninjutsu being her weakest area.


	6. Recipe for Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 6: Recipe for Love

Momo stood outside a hobby shop, where she had just purchased the items she needed for one of her gifts for Naruto. It was the same shop where she purchased her bonsai care supplies. With that taken care of, Momo moved on to the next part of her plan.

_'It will take some time to complete this, so I'll have to go with my back-up plan. I'm sure he'll still like it, and I was going to learn how to do this eventually.'_

Dropping off her supplies at home, she changed into her best formal wear, a light green kimono with a peach tree motive that her mother gave her for her birthday. Momo would have to look her best if she was going to pay a visit to the head of the Hyuuga clan.

* * *

If someone were to ask what Naruto loved the most, some would say the village he was born in, despite his past. Others would say his former team-mate Sakura, though that has changed from a romantic interest to that of a sibling bond. Where it stands now is unknown.

For those closest to him, they might joke that Naruto loves ramen more then anything else. That is why Momo wanted to meet Hyuuga Hinata, the best known ramen chef in the village to learn from her. With any luck, once Naruto tasted Momo's cooking, he would grow to love her as well.

Momo, despite her own love of tsukemen and it's similarities to ramen, did not know how to make it. Thus Momo had decided to seek out Hinata to learn how to do so.

Momo considered asking Ayame or Teuchi, but they would be busy running the restaurant, or enjoying retirement. Meeting them discreetly would also be a problem, well not so much in Teuchi's case. Also, they spent a lot of time cooking ramen, but not eating it. While they still enjoyed ramen, it was not as much as one would think.

Therefore Hinata had been the best person to seek out for help. Not only was she a great cook, but was also one the few people who had ever beaten Naruto in a ramen eating competition.

Hinata loved ramen almost as much as Naruto. If she were to make ramen for him, she would put all of that love into it, as well as the love she once, or may still have for him. That is why Momo wanted to learn how to make it, so she can show her love for Naruto as well.

Soon enough, Momo had gained entry to the Hyuuga estate. She had been let in discretely by a former classmate in the former branch house so she could meet Hinata without anyone finding out. Momo wanted to keep her reasons for being here a secret so as not to spoil her surprise for Naruto.

When she was finally able to meet with Hinata, Momo decided to tell her most of her reasons for wanting to see her. Hinata's skills with the byakugan would allow her to tell if Momo was lying, so Momo would have to be as truthful as she could.

The only thing she was careful not to reveal was her feelings for Naruto, as the age difference between the two might cause any adults who discovered them to interfere with her relationship with Naruto before it had a chance to begin.

Luckily for Momo, Hinata accepted her reason's for wanting to learn from her. Momo simply explained she wanted to learn how to cook ramen for Naruto as a thank you for the pair of tonfa, and for taking his own time to train her. Hinata suspected an ulterior motive for Momo's desire to please Naruto, but did not act on it.

It was a known fact to everyone that Hinata harboured a crush on Naruto for quite some time, even to Naruto himself. She had confessed to him shortly after Sasuke and Sakura became a couple.

Naruto however, did not return her feelings. He had hardly interacted with her, and considered Hinata to be just a friend. She was devastated, but the two of them eventually became closer friends, and it was Hinata's support that kept Naruto from losing himself in his pair over his own heartbreak.

So when Momo came to Hinata with her request, Hinata instantly knew the girl's true intentions. Having lost her chance at happiness with Naruto, and not wanting Momo to feel that pain, Hinata agreed to help Momo in whatever way she could.

Thus Hinata spent the remainder of the day teaching Momo how to cook ramen. It was not just any ramen she was teaching Momo to cook, but a recipe passed down from Uzumaki Kushina herself, Naruto's mother.

After Naruto and Hinata became better friends, he learned of her cooking skills and gave her copies of his mother's recipes, not needing them himself. There were quite a few recipes for ramen amongst them, as salt ramen was Kushina's favourite food.

Momo had not known of them, but was happy to have them. If it had been possible to ask Neji to comment on it, he might have claimed that Momo and Naruto were fated to be together, and Hinata having Kushina's recipes was a good sign.

Thanks to Momo's near-photographic memory and sharingan, learning the recipes had been easy. Momo did not have Hinata's years of experience though, so her ramen would not be perfect. Momo did not mind, as by the time she and Naruto became a real couple she would have enough practice.

By the time the sun was beginning to set, Momo had cooked a batch of ramen that had been called "acceptable" by Hinata. Considering her and Naruto's standards, that was significant for only a few hours of work. Hinata told Momo that Naruto should still like it, as she cooked it just for him and he would appreciate the sentiment.

Sealing the ramen away in a scroll to keep it piping hot for their lunch tomorrow, Momo returned home for dinner with her family. Sakura had, in what some would call a case of irony, cooked tsukemen for Momo as a special treat, who now had a greater appreciation for how Teuchi and Ayame must feel.

That night Momo crashed into bed. The supplies she had gathered for her other gift for Naruto were still in their bags. Normally it would only take her a few days to complete it, but with her training and the physical and mental exhaustion she was being put under, it might take several.

Momo decided that she would instead give that present to Naruto at the end of their training. That would give her plenty of time to work on it. Hopefully he would like it, and understand its meaning.

* * *

It was the next day, and it was clear that Naruto and Momo had fell into a routine. She would eat breakfast with her family and meet Naruto at the training grounds. Once again he had been held up by Kakashi, but he at least explained why this time.

"So it turns out that as soon as I woke up, Kakashi-sensei began preparing for me to take over for him. I already had the power and reputation for the job, so all I needed was the experience and training, in addition to learning of all the changes to the world during my coma." He explained to Momo.

She had simply asked Naruto what he did in his morning meetings. As the daughter of Kakashi's former students, she had met him before, as well as Tsunade through Sakura.

Momo was amazed by her family's connections, as most are not that close with their village's leaders. That was not what she was focused on right now though.

_'My parents are former students of the two previous Hokage, but Naruto-sensei is the son of one, a distant relative of three more, was close to the other one, and will be Hokage himself someday. He's connected to every Hokage!'_

Naruto continued in his explanation, while Momo watched him in awe.

"All I do every morning is help him with his paperwork. I use my shadow clones to sort through it all and delegate the unimportant items. Kakashi-sensei has been showing me how to do it all."

That was not all that Naruto learned.

"It's actually not as bad as everyone thinks it is. My guess is the other shadows just pretend they have a huge workload so everyone goes easy on them. If everyone knew about how little work they really have to do, they'd get swamped easily. So don't tell anyone else, okay? It'll be our little secret."

Momo smiled and nodded, very glad that Naruto chose to trust her with that secret.

_'Does that mean when he becomes Hokage I can visit him anytime while he's working without worrying about getting in his way?'_

Years later, if you were to ask Naruto why he told Momo that secret on that day, he still would not have an acceptable answer. The best they could come up with is that it slipped out.

Regardless, by the time he was Hokage, Momo visited him quite frequently, and never worried about interfering with his work. Of course, by then their relationship had changed dramatically.

"Okay!" Naruto suddenly shouted. "It's time to get to training. We'll start with stretches, a light workout, and then we'll have a spar to see how good you are with your tonfa. Now let's go!"

Momo and Naruto then began their morning exercises, and Momo was very excited to be getting a chance to try out her new toys in action.

* * *

The duo had just finished their drills, and after a quick drink was ready to begin a sparring session. Momo only had practice with the stances for her tonfa, and was eager to test them out. Naruto however, had a surprise for her.

"Since your opponents in the exam are all close to your age instead of being adults, I'm going to make it a little easier on you."

Momo was confused by that, and grew even more so as Naruto put his hands into the ram seal and called out a technique that had no use in battle, at least none Momo knew of.

"Transform!" Naruto yelled, causing a poof of smoke to appear around him, and to quickly disappear revealing his twelve year old self, complete with orange jumpsuit.

Naruto, now appearing the same age as Momo, albeit shorter, stood with his right hand scratching the back of his neck, eyes closed, and grinning like a fox. It was a sight that was all too familiar for anyone who knew him when he was younger. Momo however, only had one thought about it.

_'Is that what Naruto-sensei looked like when he was my age? He's so…cute!'_

It took all of her willpower not to glomp Naruto right then and there. Before now, as Naruto was an adult, she merely considered him very handsome but knew nothing could happen between them until she was older.

Now, since Naruto appeared to be the same age as her, there was nothing holding back her urges. Luckily, Naruto spoke up again and brought her attention back on to her training.

"I figured it would be better if you had someone your own age to fight against, but since we're keeping your training a secret, I'd have to become a kid myself. I spent yesterday adjusting to my shorter body, so we should be about even."

Momo found Naruto's explanation acceptable. Unlike what most civilians thought, the transformation technique really is a true shape shift and not an illusion. It creates a shell of chakra that surrounds the user and adjusts their form according to the user's intent.

Some who are skilled enough with it can even change their mass to some degree, and change into any form they desire. Those who do so are very rare, as not many would consider mastering an e-rank technique, and they almost always end up becoming infiltrators.

The reason it's not used in battle more is that it's very easy to break the chakra shell. Only masters of the technique like Naruto, whose affinity with the technique was unreal, could use it in combat. He was known for having shadow clones take the form of any weapon he desired.

Momo, while pondering Naruto's skill with transforming and what he could do with it, did not notice her ever increasing blush. Naruto did, and mistook it for something else.

"Hey Momo, are you alright?" He asked her. "Your face is really red. I think you might be sick."

Naruto walked up to Momo and took one of her hands in his own, holding her wrist to check her pulse and feel is she was getting hot. Naruto would have checked her forehead, but she was wearing her forehead protector over it.

That sent poor Momo over the edge.

_'He's holding my hand! Squeee!'_

Momo's thoughts brought her back from it.

_'What the hell am I doing? The man I like, err, boy, umm, whatever, anyway, he's starts holding my hand and suddenly I'm almost squealing like some useless fangirl! I'm better then that!'_

Momo suddenly jerked her hand away from Naruto. Pulling out her tonfa, she moved into a fighting stance.

"Okay, you said wanted a spar, so let's have one!" She said, challenging Naruto.

Her realization had kicked her shyness to the curb, and brought back the tough little girl she normally was. Momo would be taking things seriously from now on.

_'It's time to show you what I'm really made of! I'm not a lovesick little girl, I'm Uchiha Momo, and you will be mine someday, believe it!'_

They really were meant for each other.

Naruto, who, moments ago was worried for his student's health was glad to see her ready to go.

_'I guess it was just the heat that made her red. She's ready to go now, so no point in keeping her waiting.'_

"Alright, but I'm not holding back either! Shadow clone technique!"

Eight more copies of Naruto appeared in a poof of smoke. It appeared with Naruto's youthful appearance his old tactics came back too.

Momo quickly took note of each clone's location. She had her sharingan off, as she did not feel the need for it yet. The clones seemed to have formed a spiral pattern around her, with three lengths of three clones, and were running in a circular pattern while holding it.

_'I get it. This way three stay close to me while the others act as support. I'll have to be careful as my back is always exposed. The real Naruto-sensei must be in the back of one of the columns.'_

Momo decided to make the next move. Her illusions were out, as Naruto could just flare his chakra to disrupt them and the fire release: great fireball would take too much time to use. That only left her with taijutsu and her tonfa, which was what she needed to work on anyway.

Having analyzed the movements of the clones nearest to her, she made her move. Thrusting her left arm behind her, Momo struck a clone just as it passed by her with the end of her tonfa, dispelling it. That caused the other two closest to her to attack.

The next two clones charged forward, one engaging Momo in taijutsu and the other hurling kunai and shuriken. Momo was forced to split her attention onto defending against both of them. Luckily her tonfa helped dramatically. She was able to parry the attacks of the first clone while deflecting the attacks of the other.

Finally Momo was able to recognize an opening in the first clone's attacks. Capitalizing on it, she hit the clone hard, dispelling it, creating a cloud of smoke. Using it as a cover, she charged forward and knocked out the other clone, dispelling it as well.

Now only six clones remained. The next group moved forward, but Momo was ready for them. Even without her sharingan active, she knew Naruto's movements well enough now to counter his attacks with ease. So when three clones charged forward, she was ready.

Or Momo thought she was. As soon as one of the clones took a swing at her, she ducked and moved forward to strike it, only to pass through the clone as if it was not there.

Momo did not have much time to figure out what happened, as the outer ring of Narutos went on the offensive. One ran and made a sweeping leg attack, knocking Momo's feet and legs into the air. Another hit her in the back with its knee, launching her upward. Finally, while she was in midair, the last Naruto jumped up and delivered a kick to her stomach with a reverse heel drop, sending her crashing to the ground. Momo was left in rough shape, but otherwise unhurt.

_'I feel like the wind was just knocked out of me. What happened?'_

Naruto dispelled his remaining shadow clones and went to Momo's side, still in his younger looking form.

"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?" He asked her.

Momo, still clutching her stomach, slowly sat up to answer.

"I'll be fine, it was just my pride that was really hurt. What happened?"

Naruto just put his hand behind his neck again, and grinned a bit. Momo was finding it very cute, but had much better control over her emotions. That, and she had just been literally kicked around by him so she was more focused on her wounded pride.

"I used a variant of my Uzumaki Naruto combo on you. It's based off your dad's lion combo that he copied from Rock Lee."

Momo nodded at that answer. She knew of the move by reading about his match against Kiba in their first chunin exams. The exact details of the match had been lost somehow, so she learned an altered version of events.

"That I understand, but what was really embarrassing was falling for the basic clone technique." Momo said, her shame from doing so quite evident.

Naruto's eyes shot open in surprise, but quickly turned back to normal as he smiled at his student.

"So you figured it out, but how?" He asked her.

"Easy, the grass. It's pushed down where the shadow clones were running in circles but still undisturbed where the normal clones were running." Momo replied.

Indeed, the grass was flat in a circle around Momo, and at a distance from her. In between it was just fine.

"Yeah, I've caught quite a few people off guard that way. Mixing different types of clones together is fun. There are even some people out there who think I still don't know how to do the basic clone technique, and I'm not about to correct them." Naruto said with a grin, his young trickster side still alive inside of his more mature adult self.

Momo, not yet noticing Naruto just revealed another of his secrets to her, after taking several deep breaths, and several gulps of water, made it to her feet.

"Do you feel better now?" Naruto asked her.

"I'm okay. I just need to rest for a bit." Momo, who immediately fell back on her bottom, responded before resigning to lying on the grass.

"In that case, why don't we take a break for now, and get some lunch later. We can resume after that. I'll take it easier too." Naruto suggested.

He then lay down on the grass next to Momo, with his hands behind his head. Looking over at Momo, it appeared the girl had fallen asleep.

_'She's kind of cute like that. I bet even Sasuke would agree. No wonder the guy is so much happier these days with a family like his.'_

Naruto's mood grew somber then, as his thoughts turned sadder.

_'Will I ever find anyone and have a family of my own? All the girls I knew are now women married with families of their own, and the single ones are all much younger then me. Mentally I'm only about twenty though, and physically as well. I wonder how I should deal with this.'_

Naruto's train of thought was brought to a halt as Momo began to stir in her sleep. Before Naruto could move, the girl rolled over and into him, snuggling herself into him. Momo's head was just under his chin and her arms were wrapped around his chest.

Knowing he could not move now without waking Momo up, Naruto settled for wrapping his own arms around her, causing Momo to moan in contentment.

_'You know, this is kind of nice.' _Naruto thought regarding his present situation.

If only someone had a camera, or could draw a picture of the future couple, it really was a lovely sight.

* * *

Author's Notes: As of 16/03/12, the date the revision for this chapter was posted, I'm still waiting for someone to draw that last scene.

I didn't write out the scene with Momo and Hinata as I felt I'd rather focus on Naruto and Momo, and I wasn't sure how to do it. I do have an idea for a prequel about Momo's life, from her younger years to being an academy student and eventually a genin, with some added details about the events in her life after meeting Naruto not covered in this story. I might make that scene between her and Hinata then. If I do though, it won't be for quite some time.

Another point I realized while revising this chapter is that the month of training takes place in February and I completely forgot about Valentine's Day, which would have yielded some major development between Naruto and Momo. Instead of adding a scene including it to one of these older chapters, that event will be dealt with in a later chapter of the story that deals with their relationship taking a romantic turn, as opposed to a teacher/student bond.


	7. Get into Your Element

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 7: Get into Your Element

Momo was having the most wonderful dream. She dreamt that Naruto had found a way for him to be the same age as her, so they could be together. She thought he was really cute as a kid.

They spent their time playing like the children they were instead of child soldiers. When Momo got too exhausted from playing she fell asleep in his arms. The pink-haired girl did not want her dream to end. Unfortunately it did, right when it was getting good.

In Momo's dream, after she fell asleep Naruto carried her back to his apartment and put her down in his bed, where they snuggled together. When dream Momo woke up she and Naruto were both in adult bodies.

Dream Naruto said he used his transformation skills to give Momo a mature look. Since they already had fun being kids, it was adult fun time now. Dream Momo, having taken sexual education courses in the academy, knew what that meant.

She and dream Naruto began seductively undressing for each other. When both of them were completely nude they took a moment to admire each other.

Naruto was tanned and in good shape, but not overly muscular. Momo had peach toned skin, with a good figure, perky breasts a little bigger then Sakura's, and long, luxurious pink hair.

The two of them, now having completely exposed themselves to each other, moved in for the next step. Momo laid down on the bed, and Naruto moved himself over top of her with his face inches from hers. Momo could feel Naruto's hardening member press against her.

As they gazed into each other's eyes their lips trembled in anticipation. In a few seconds they would be one. Slowly, they moved closer to have their first kiss when suddenly…

"Squawk!" A bird came roaring into the field.

Naruto and Momo woke up with a start. Seeing the position they were in, both blushed and moved away from the other. Momo was very surprised, as she did not know how they ended up like that.

_'It looks like I passed out. I must have been more worn out from our spar than I thought.'_

She looked over at Naruto, who was still transformed.

_'I'm amazed he can keep it up for so long.'_

She was unaware of the double entendre of her thought.

Momo then turned her attention to the source of the squawk that woke her from her dream. Nearby was a hawk, apparently hunting for mice.

"That's one of father's summons. It must be have been used to pass a message to someone and it's now taking a break to hunt for mice. They come here occasionally to do that." Momo explained to Naruto, who nodded in understanding.

She then tried to remember how she ended up asleep with Naruto in the training field.

_'Did I fall asleep? I thought I was dreaming, but I can't remember any of it.'_

If Momo had remembered it she would have found being in Naruto's presence very awkward. As it was, Momo was now well rested and ready to continue her training.

"Okay," Naruto began, "if you're all rested up now, we can start the next phase of your training, but first…"

Naruto then turned back into his normal self. Momo was disappointed, but settled for having the handsome adult Naruto back. Now she was interested in what could be next. She stood at attention, eagerly awaiting what Naruto had planned for her.

"Since we've begun our training you've mastered the basic three, and got a good grasp of how to wield your tonfa. We'll continue to do some light sparring exercises with them to get you used to using them. Nothing as rough as earlier though."

Naruto grinned sheepishly at that, but Momo did not mind. She would not be able to improve well enough if her instructors held back against her. Momo's opponents in the chunin exams certainly would not.

"I can't help you with illusions or fire techniques, but your parents can if they have a chance. You're good enough at them already, even better then me, so we don't have to worry about that right now."

While Naruto had meant to praise her skills in those areas, his words also reminded Momo that her parents had been too busy to help her lately.

_'I only get to see mother and father in the mornings and evenings. In the morning I have to get ready for training and in the evening I'm too tired from training. At least I get to spend all day with Naruto-sensei!'_

Every cloud has a silver, or in this case, orange lining.

"So," Naruto said, noting a brief look of pain on Momo's face but dismissing his worry as it was immediately replaced by one of joy, "it's finally time for you to learn the special technique I've prepared for you. Can you guess what it could be?"

Momo had no idea.

_'I've been so busy I haven't had time to even think about what it could be. All I can guess is that it's something to help me in close quarters fighting, earth elemental, and something Naruto is good at. So what's his specialty?'_

It did not take a genius to figure that one out. As soon as Momo asked herself that question, she knew instantly what Naruto wanted her to learn. She was positively giddy now, and could not hold back her excitement.

"It's the earth clone technique!" She replied excitedly.

"That's right. It's actually the basic earth elemental clone technique and not the advanced earth release: shadow clone technique I usually use. Turn on your sharingan so you can copy the hand seals. Then I'll explain how to perform the technique so you can do it yourself."

Momo was a bit disappointed that she would not be able to copy the whole of the lower ranked technique and would have to master it on her own. Copying the hand seals would be enough to get her started, as she could observe how Naruto's chakra flowed for the elemental shaping of the technique. The rest would depend on her own skill with the earth element.

Naruto made the hand seals, and Momo copied them.

"Alright, now since you have an earth affinity you have two options for how to create the clone. You can either use the dirt all around us, which would be easier, or create it within yourself." Naruto explained.

Momo had studied earth techniques before, and knew what Naruto meant by create it herself.

_'If I didn't have a source of material around for the clones, I would have to mould the earth from inside of me using my own chakra, and basically throw it up to create a clone. Not going to happen.'_

"I'll just use what's already available for me. The finals will be held in the stadium anyway, and there's plenty more there as well." Momo replied to Naruto.

She then performed the hand seals, very quickly too as she was very good with them, and called out the technique's name, if only to help with her concentration.

"Earth clone technique."

Momo focused on a patch of dirt in front of her. Slowly, a pile of it began to rise, but quickly crumble away. Momo was disappointed, but Naruto cheered her up.

"Don't worry about it. It's a low rank technique, but still takes some degree of elemental manipulation to work. With your skill that won't take long to accomplish. So, the next step is to work on that, and I know just the way to do it."

Naruto then walked over to a tree, and pulled two leaves from a branch. He then walked back to Momo, and handed her one.

"This is the basic exercise for changing your chakra into an element. Watch, but without your sharingan."

Momo had her sharingan turned off already; Naruto's request was just a reminder that she had to learn this on her own. She watched as the leaf held by Naruto turned to dust in an instant.

"That's how it's done. Use your chakra to dry out the leaf and decompose it. It would be easier if you knew water manipulation, as you would just absorb the moisture in it. That's why even though earth and water are opposing elements; a lot of people can use both."

Momo nodded at Naruto's explanation, and began the exercise herself. She closed her eyes and focused her chakra into the leaf, imagining the moisture evaporating, and the leaf crumbling away. To her surprise, her hand became warm, then suddenly felt like something burned it.

Momo opened her eyes in shock. The leaf was gone, but only because it had burned up. Naruto, noticing her reaction, spoke up.

"It looks like you channelled fire chakra into it instead. It did get the same result, but it won't help you learn to use earth techniques."

Momo was disappointed, but she understood what went wrong.

"I'm too familiar with fire manipulation. Moulding my chakra into the earth element is going to take some time."

"That's right." Naruto said. "Don't worry about it; we still have plenty of time to work on it. As long as you get this exercise done, you should be able to use the earth clone technique. Just keep practicing. Oh, one more thing."

Naruto then reached down and took the hand Momo held the leaf with in his own. Momo's heartbeat started racing, but she managed to stay under control.

"I was worried you burned your hand, but it's fine." Naruto said.

Momo's heartbeat slowly returned to normal as he let go of her hand.

_'It's okay, he was just checking to make sure I was okay.'_

Naruto then pulled some more leaves down for Momo, who continued to practice changing her chakra into the earth element. Some of them still caught on fire, so Momo knew she had a long ways to go. She would not give up though, and was determined to succeed and prove herself.

_'I'll do this, no matter what! I'll turn this stupid leaf and anything else I can get my hands on to dust! Then I'll prove I'm a great ninja to my father, my mother, and to Naruto-sensei! Then someday, when I'm a great ninja I'll fulfill my dream too!'_

The leaf she was holding then burned up.

"Ahh!" Momo screamed.

_'This is going to take a while.' _Naruto thought as he moved into a meditative pose. _'I might as well get comfortable.'_

* * *

It was well past noon now. Naruto and Momo met for their training at nine a.m. every morning, spent an hour running warm-ups and stance drills with their tonfa, then had a light spar. Their unplanned nap gave them some time to rest, so neither noticed they missed lunch.

Momo was now surrounded by several small piles of ash, mostly from burnt leaves. She still had trouble with using her earth element instead of fire. Momo was not the type to get frustrated, or at least show it. Each time she burned a leaf she quietly accepted another from Naruto and tried again.

Naruto had been meditating while observing Momo occasionally to make sure she did not burn or exhaust herself. He was currently pondering what he could do for her.

_'We can't move on until she's mastered this step. If I taught her the shadow clone technique it would speed things up, but that would be grossly irresponsible. For now, even if it takes days I'll have to wait until she's ready to move on.'_

Momo currently had a leaf in each hand, and was focusing intently on them. That is until a loud grumbling noise disrupted her concentration. Naruto grinned and did his trademark pose.

"Sorry, that was me. Since we skipped lunch I must be hungry." He said to Momo.

Momo was about to say it was okay, when a cute little growl interrupted her.

"I guess I'm hungry too." Momo said with an embarrassed blush.

She then remembered the ramen she made, and how she was going to thank Naruto for his gift with one of her own.

"I completely forgot, but I never thanked you for the tonfa. They're really great, and I will master them in no time, believe it!"

Naruto smiled at his student's enthusiasm, although she had not actually thanked him, merely acknowledged that she did not.

"Think nothing of it. I'm just happy to have helped out one of my former team-mate's kids."

Naruto really did think nothing of it, but Momo felt differently.

_'His former team-mate's kid? Is that all I am to you?' _Momo thought dejectedly.

"Alright," Naruto began, "what do you say we have lunch now? I forgot to bring any so we can go back to Ichiraku today."

Momo perked up a bit at this. Naruto's indifference to their relationship brought her down a bit, but now she had another chance to get him to like her more.

"Actually, I made some ramen for us. I wanted to give it to you as thanks for the tonfa."

Momo then pulled out the sealing scroll she kept it in, and with a poof two steaming bowls of ramen appeared with two sets of chopsticks.

"Wow Momo, that's great! Thanks a lot!"

He then pulled apart the chopsticks and began to devour Momo's homemade ramen.

"Mmm, this is great! You did a good job!"

Momo, as always, was pleased by Naruto's praise.

"It tastes familiar too. Where did you get the recipe from?" Naruto asked Momo.

"I learned how to cook it from Hyuuga Hinata. She said it was one of your mother's recipes. She also said it was only acceptable." Replied Momo, the last part spoken under her breath. Naruto still heard it.

"Don't worry about that." Naruto said. "Hinata loves ramen as much as I do, and since she's a great chef herself she's really strict about cooking standards. If you keep practicing you'll get really great at it someday."

That cheered Momo up. The girl looked up from her own ramen at Naruto.

_'Yeah, and someday you'll see me as more then your former team-mate's daughter too. Someday you'll be all mine.'_

Naruto, despite eating hot ramen felt a cold shiver again, but it was gone and replaced by a warm feeling right away.

'_There's that feeling again. I hope I'm not coming down with something.'_

Little did Naruto know that someday he would catch a bug, a lovebug.

* * *

The events of that day set the pace for the next three weeks, leaving four days before the finals. Naruto and Momo would meet up, stretch and do their morning exercises. Then they would have a spar to improve Momo's skill with her tonfa.

Naruto gradually increased the difficulty level as Momo improved, and introduced new tactics for her to pick up.

Momo now saw through the basic clones mixed with the shadow clones by watching their feet to see how the ground was affected. After she learned to do that, he stopped using them.

Another advanced move Naruto employed was having his shadow clones replace him should he get hit. He devised a training game where if Momo hit him once, she won the match. Hitting his clones did not count.

Momo understood that once she mastered the earth clone technique, she could use them for replacements to save herself. Unlike the shadow clones which were chakra constructs, and could use techniques, the earth clones were just dirt held together by chakra, so Momo would have to use the replacement technique herself on them.

The final tactic he demonstrated was to have his shadow clones disguised as rocks or thrown shuriken and kunai. Momo would step near one, only for it to reveal itself and launch a surprise attack.

After Naruto used that in a spar, Momo understood why he had her master the basic three. Naruto showed how those moves could exponentially improve his use of the shadow clone technique, and Momo was eager to try those tactics with the earth clone technique once she mastered the leaf drying exercise.

Once Naruto felt that Momo understood the lesson he had imparted on her, he finally showed her how to use the body flicker technique. Naruto did make her promise not to use it to run around town, as she could exhaust herself fast. Rather, it was for quick escapes or fast victories in battle.

That was quite odd considering it was primarily used for travel by higher ranking ninjas. Only Uchiha Shisui and Naruto himself had mastered it to a degree that they could use it in battle. Naruto hoped Momo would be the next person to do so.

Naruto also had her practice her skill with ninja wire. He explained that once she developed her earth manipulation, she could focus it into a special chakra conductive ninja wire to harden it so it would be difficult to cut. It would also be heat resistant, so she could channel fire chakra into it to burn her opponents while they were securely restrained.

As Momo's skills increased, her clothing changed to accommodate them. She now wore fingerless gloves with metal plating to protect her hands in combat, and from burns while training or using fire techniques. Momo took them off when she did the leaf drying exercise, since they seemed to get in the way. Thanks to her younger brother Arashi, she was skilled at treating burns anyway, so any minor wounds she suffered while working on her elemental manipulation exercises she could easily treat.

In addition, Momo's arms and legs were now covered in bandage wraps, like the Akimichi or Hyuuga use. Before she just wore elbow and knee covers like her mother used to wear. Momo was tired of patching herself up after a long day of training. The bandage wraps were a good way to protect herself from cuts and scrapes.

Momo was currently working on the leaf drying exercise again. Naruto was nearby, sparring with his clones. Momo did not need him for this part, so Naruto had been taking advantage of the privacy of the training grounds to train on his own.

Momo took a leaf in one hand, and placed her other hand on top of it.

_'Okay, focus now, you can do this.'_

Momo focused her chakra into the leaf, moulding it into the earth element. She imagined the moisture from the leaf disappearing, the leaf itself disintegrating into dust.

For a moment it looked like nothing happened, then Momo felt a wetness in her hand. Expecting another failure, Momo opened her eyes, moved her other hand away and looked at the remains of the leaf. Her hand looked a bit sweaty, and there was a wet powder in her palm. She had finally dried the leaf.

_'I did it! I should do it again to make sure.'_

Momo grabbed another leaf and placed it into the palm of her hand. Concentrating on it, she slowly turned it to dust. Excited over her achievement, she ran to find Naruto. She did not have to go far, as he had just finished a spar with his clones and was panting heavily. Momo ran up to Naruto and showed him her accomplishment.

"Naruto look, I did it!" Momo cheered excitedly, forgetting to address him properly, but he was too tired to care.

Momo took out another leaf, and dried it up in her hands. Naruto observed her, and gave his appraisal.

"That's very good. Normally it takes months to get this far, but you're a prodigy like your dad. He learned lightning manipulation and the Chidori in a month. Compared to that, this is easy."

Momo was smiling proudly. She would never get tired of seeing her precious people proud of her.

"Now, I want you to watch this." Naruto said as he grabbed a rock.

Momo was confused, but not for long as the rock in Naruto's hand suddenly disintegrated into dust.

"That's what you should be aiming for. You need to start focusing on drying out that leaf faster, and then move onto harder materials like wood, then stone and finally metal."

Momo was in a good mood from having completed her exercise at last, but that seemed to vanish when she learned she still had a way to go.

"Don't feel too down. Like I said, learning this takes months, even years for some. You've already started learning two elements, while some ninja don't bother at all."

Momo cheered up a little.

"I guess I've been too hard on myself. I should be proud of how far I've come, not depressed over how much further I have to go."

"That's the spirit! Now, why don't you let me catch my breath and we'll see if you have better luck with the earth clone technique."

Naruto got up and wandered over to a stream. Momo followed at a distance, unnoticed to him.

A funny quirk about ninja is their threat perception. For those who have lived long enough, they develop a sixth sense for danger. This allows them to be constantly vigilant. Should an enemy throw a poisoned kunai at them, they would dodge it by instinct alone. If a kid threw a Frisbee, they might not even notice.

That was why Kakashi fell for Naruto's chalkboard eraser prank. It was not that he did not notice it, the eraser just was not a danger to him. Had it been covered in poison or explosive notes he would have simply kicked the door in and let the dangerous eraser fall to the floor.

Thus Naruto, who was now stripping so he could cool down in the stream and wash away his sweat, had no idea Momo was watching him. After all, Momo would never do anything to hurt him and had no intention of doing so.

As Naruto placed his clothes into a pile, leaving him clad in only a pair of boxers with a ramen motif and Senju Hashirama's necklace, Momo spied on him from behind a tree. The girl was frozen in place from the sight of a nearly nude Naruto, and her sharingan had subconsciously activated.

Naruto stepped into the stream and lay down, letting the water flow over him. Momo continued to stare, unable to make a coherent thought as her mind was currently focused on committing everything she saw to memory.

Of course the sharingan was doing that for her, but Momo did not notice. Neither was she aware that the number of commas in her eyes changed from two to three, or that she had begun to drool.

After a while, Naruto got up from the stream. Using a water technique, he dried himself and started redressing. Momo, having regained her motor control, took off back to the training ground before Naruto noticed her.

* * *

"Ah, that feels better." Naruto exclaimed, now refreshed from his soak. "I wonder where Momo went."

Momo was not where Naruto left her. He looked around, and found her passed out against a tree, oddly not far from the stream where he just was.

"I guess she either exhausted all her chakra trying to dry all those leaves, or from training some more while I was gone."

Momo had actually passed out from mental exhaustion after replaying her recent memory in her mind, a sight she will never forget thanks to her sharingan. Between that and the panic of Naruto catching her, she fainted.

"I'll take her home now. It's getting late anyway."

Naruto picked up Momo bridal style, and carried her back to her house. Sakura answered the door, and did not question Naruto about Momo's condition as this was becoming a common occurrence.

Sakura carried Momo upstairs and put her to bed. That night, Momo dreamt of Naruto bathing in the stream, and of her joining in…

* * *

Author's Notes: The start and end of this chapter is the most sexual thing I have and possibly may ever write for a fanfic.

I think Momo's fighting strategy could be applied to Sakura in canon with success if she hadn't been a medical ninja. The only thing I'd change is her secondary element depending on who she's paired with. If it's Sasuke, Kiba or Lee, it would be fire. If it's Naruto, Neji or Haku, it would be water.

I did some research into Chinese zodiac signs to figure out what would be the best hand seal for the earth clone technique, and couldn't come up with a good one. By the way, if I made Momo twenty years younger then Naruto instead of nineteen, they would have had compatible signs, or animals, whatever.


	8. Symbols of Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 8: Symbols of Love

It was the final day of training for Naruto and Momo. The entire day after she accomplished the leaf drying exercise was spent making sure the pink-haired girl could use the earth clone technique properly.

Momo would still need quite a lot of practice to master it, and still needed to improve her elemental manipulation. For now, she and Naruto were working on her tactics for using it in combat.

Naruto had already shown her how through the use of the basic three, Momo could dramatically increase her earth clone's usefulness.

The basic clone could be used to trick her enemies into thinking the earth clone was a normal one.

Momo could use the replacement technique to switch herself with an earth clone to save her from an attack.

Finally, while she could not use the transformation technique to disguise her earth clones, as they could not use techniques, she could use her illusions to conceal them.

Once Naruto was satisfied that Momo could use the earth clone technique well enough, he moved back into her skill with ninja tools and weapons. Specifically, ninja wire and her tonfa.

Naruto had Momo work on using her ninja wire to disable his blood clones. Since they could bleed and be wounded to some degree, they were ideal for showing Momo how her ninja wire could be effectively used.

Momo was amazed by Naruto's blood clones, as she was not aware they existed. Naruto explained how they were clones of him using a pint of his own blood, several gallons of water for additional substance, a large amount of chakra for them to use and a sealing array to create them.

Unlike shadow clones, Naruto did not receive their memories. Therefore, their uses were limited. Between that and their difficulty in forming, Naruto rarely needed them.

After Momo demonstrated sufficient skill with ninja wire, Naruto gave her a chakra conductive version and showed her how to use it. Now, instead of Momo disabling a blood clone with regular ninja wire, she completely immobilized it. The special ninja wire burned into its flesh, and was as strong as steel, so the clone could not break free.

Of course even though it only had a portion of Naruto's strength, it was more then enough to avoid being caught by Momo. The clone was going easy on her. It was only needed to demonstrate the uses of ninja wire anyway.

The last thing Naruto taught Momo was how to channel earth chakra into her tonfa. This would make them very hard, so they would endure better. It also made blows delivered by them much more powerful. Needless to say, Momo enjoyed that.

Now, on the final day Momo had learned all that Naruto set out for her. In celebration of Momo's progress and the completion of her training, Naruto took her to Ichiraku.

It did not matter to them that they ate ramen and tsukemen everyday that they were together. For Momo, being with Naruto was enough. For him, eating at Ichiraku, a safe haven for him since he was a child made it special.

They finished their meal, and Naruto walked Momo back to her house. Naruto felt he was just watching out for his friend's daughter. Momo, although she knew it was not a date was treating it like one, and was happy Naruto was walking her home. It gave her a good opportunity to give him her special gift.

The two of them were now standing outside her house, and Naruto was about to say good-bye.

"Okay, this is it. It's been fun training you Momo. I never got a chance to be a sensei, and I'll be Hokage someday, so I'll be too busy to become a jonin sensei. I'm glad I got this chance."

"I had a good time too. You were a great teacher. I'm thankful for all you've done for me." Momo replied, bowing in thanks.

"I keep telling you, don't worry about it. I'm always happy to help out one of my friends."

Naruto's words had more of an effect on Momo then he thought they would.

_'He thinks of me as one his own friends now instead of just the daughter or them! I'm making progress!'_

While Momo was in her happy place, Naruto was getting ready to leave.

"Alright Momo, take care of yourself. See ya." Naruto then turned away, which got Momo's attention.

"Wait, don't go! I have something for you!" Momo called out to Naruto, who stopped in his tracks.

Looking back, Naruto only saw Momo run into her house.

_'She must have got me another gift as thanks for her training. She didn't have to get me anything. I wonder if she made me more ramen.'_

Naruto did not have long to ponder what Momo had gotten him, as she returned moments later with a large, gift wrapped box. It was a foot wide and long, and a foot and a half tall. It was covered in green wrapping paper, with a pink ribbon and bow.

Naruto had no clue what it could be, but Momo seemed to be excited about it.

_'She must be hoping I like it. Well, if it's from her of course I will!'_

Momo had other intentions for it.

_'When he finds out what I made for him then he'll start liking me more for sure! I wonder if he'll get the hidden meaning.'_

Momo handed the large box to Naruto.

"This is for you. I wanted to give you something special for the tonfa, and for all you've done for me. I would've given it to you sooner, but it took some time to make."

_'Make?' _Naruto thought. _'She made something for me? What could it be?'_

Naruto started unwrapping the present. He pulled off the pink bow and ribbon and set them aside. He then carefully took off the paper and folded it up, rather then tear it apart.

_'That's weird, why is he being so careful with the wrapping? It's just cheap paper.' _Momo wondered to herself.

What she did not know was Naruto had a good, but sad reason for doing so.

_'I've never got a gift from a girl before, or at least one that was wrapped like this. It may be silly, but I want to keep as much of it as I can.'_

Naruto had received gifts from his friends before, but something told him Momo's gift was special, and different from the others. He did not know it, but it was his first gift from an admirer.

When the paper had been removed, it revealed a brown cardboard box with two openings in the top, like a handle. Naruto took hold of it and pulled up, exposing Momo's handmade gift.

"Momo, this is…" Naruto was rendered speechless.

As he pulled up on the box it slowly revealed a plant pot, but it was not a house plant in it. Inside were two artificial trees, an orange and a peach tree.

The orange tree was clearly older as it was taller. It had multiple trunks, while the peach tree only had one. The trunk in the center was the largest, while the two trunks branching off from it were roughly the same size.

The center trunk was straight, while the other two seemed to curve around the peach tree. It's as if the orange tree knew the peach tree would someday need the space and was waiting for it.

It looked like the orange tree was looking over the younger peach tree and protecting it from harm; with the way its branches seemed to guard it.

"It's a bonsai zokei, an artificial bonsai tree. I made it myself. I've never done one this complex before." Momo explained.

Naruto was very appreciative of her gift. He set it aside, bent down and pulled Momo into a hug.

"Thank you very much Momo. It's a great gift."

It was now Momo's turn to be speechless. She had merely expected a thank you, not a hug from Naruto.

_'He's hugging me! What do I do?'_

Naruto had wrapped his arms around Momo's body, so she could not even move her arms to hug him back.

"You're welcome." Was all Momo managed to reply.

Naruto then let go of Momo, to her disappointment.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I got you something too." Naruto then started digging through his coat's pockets for something.

Momo was curious about this.

_'He got me another gift? What could it be?'_

Naruto eventually found it. He took out a small box and handed it to Momo. It was only a plain box, and was not wrapped. Momo opened it and was surprised by what it was.

Inside the box was a pair of goggles. They were black with an orange tint, and appeared similar to snow goggles. Neither Naruto nor Momo knew it, but they were similar to the pair once worn by Uchiha Obito.

"I thought you could these to protect your eyes in battle. I've never understood why almost none of the Uchiha or Hyuuga have ever worn eye protection, considering how important their bloodlines are to them."

Momo was trying to figure out why Naruto got her a pair of goggles, but his explanation made sense.

_'If something happened to one of my eyes that would be it for me. I wouldn't be able to be a ninja anymore. With these, my sharingan will be safe.'_

Momo was now looking very happy with her gift. Naruto was watching her reaction to it when he put his right hand to his chin and made a thinking pose.

"Come to think of it, why don't more ninja wear eye protection? It's not just those with bloodlines who could use them. If anyone was blinded in a mission their careers would be over."

Momo was not listening to Naruto's astute observation. She was too excited about her new gift.

_'First he gives me the tonfa and shows me how to use them. That was better then all that chocolate and cheap jewellery those fanboys gave me combined! Now he gives me something to keep my sharingan safe!'_

All of a sudden Momo leapt at Naruto and wrapped her arms around his neck. It was her turn to hug him now, while repeating "thank you" over and over. Naruto figured he knew why.

_'I guess she's really appreciative of them. Having something happen to her eyes must be a fear of hers, so my gift must have taken care of it.'_

Naruto was indeed correct; having something bad happen to one of or both of her eyes was one of Momo's deepest fears. Now she did not have anything to worry about.

_'How long is she going to keep this up?' _Naruto thought, not that he minded.

Momo was still glomping Naruto. Before she was sure she wanted to marry him and have his children. Now she was going to make sure they had as much fun doing so as possible, but not until she was older. They did have careers to focus on now, and Momo was still only twelve.

Finally an embarrassed Momo let go of Naruto.

_'That was really childish of me. I hope Naruto-sensei doesn't think bad of me now.'_

Naruto did not care, he was just happy Momo liked the gift.

"Why don't you try them on now so I can see how they look on you?" Naruto asked Momo.

Momo took the goggles out of the box and tried pulling them over her head. Finding her forehead protector in the way, she took it off and retied it around her neck. Momo then put the goggles on over her eyes.

Naruto looked over Momo. Unlike her mother, Momo had a normal sized forehead since her looks came from her father's side of the family, with the exception of her hair.

_'She's a pretty cute kid. I can see why she has so many fanboys. It must run in the family.'_

"They look great on you Momo!"

Momo was blushing a bit from that. She was holding her hands behind her back to keep from fidgeting. Normally she ignored it when boys said anything about her looks, because it happened a lot.

Naruto though was someone she was trying to get the attention of, and appreciated his compliments.

"Thanks." Momo managed to reply.

"Well, if there's nothing else I really have to be going now. Thanks again for the gift. See ya Momo!"

Naruto then put the cover back on his new bonsai zokei, picked it up and walked away. Momo called out a "bye" to him, and that was it.

Momo was a bit sad now. She had just spent an entire month alone with the man of her dreams, and loved every moment of it. Now, she did not know when she would see him again.

_'Maybe Naruto-sensei will watch me tomorrow in the finals. I'm sure he'll be there to support me.'_

Momo took a deep breath to relax herself, and entered her home. She had to prepare herself for the next day, where she would prove her skill and become a chunin. She would make her parents proud of her, or more then they were already. Most importantly, she would make Naruto proud of her as well.

* * *

Author's Notes: This chapter as a whole was pretty short. In retrospect, it should have been added to the end of the previous chapter or made part of chapter five, "Momo's Gifts".

If I ever post this story elsewhere or translate it into Japanese, as it could have more appeal to an eastern audience, I'll make sure to do that. Not to mention reorganizing the events of the training month by relevance to each other and adding some scenes between Naruto and his children in the present as he explains the significance of each event.


	9. Momo One Half

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 9: Momo 1/2

It was now the day of the final round of the chunin exam. The first match would be starting soon. It would be between Momo's Inuzuka team-mate and a ninja from the Hidden Rain Village. Her Aburame team-mate would be in the third match against a puppeteer from the Hidden Sand Village.

Momo was up last, against a taijutsu specialist, who was also from the Hidden Sand Village. He was the team-mate of the puppeteer, and was considered quite arrogant.

At the moment, Momo was standing in the arena floor, waiting for the event to start. Her parents were in the audience with Naruto. Momo tried looking for them, but could not spot them amongst the crowd.

Momo was getting anxious. It did not help that she would have to fight last.

_'I can't wait until it's my turn so I can show everyone what I'm made of! But if they don't hurry up and start I'm going to go crazy!'_

It appeared that spending a month with Naruto completely destroyed any sense of patience she had.

_'I guess I'll just have to put all my pent up energy into beating my first opponent as badly as possible.'_

Momo was in a bad mood now, but as long as her first opponent did not provoke her, he would be fine. After all, what was the worst a girl with Haruno blood in her could do to someone that annoyed her?

Up in the stands Naruto was chatting with former team-mates, and unknown to him at the time, his future in laws.

"You guys are really going to be surprised by how much Momo has improved."

"Un." Sasuke replied eloquently.

Sakura lightly elbowed her husband, who merely glanced at her before returning his attention to the arena floor. Sakura sighed, and turned her attention to Naruto.

"What Sasuke meant to say is that we're both sure you did a fine job instructing our dear little girl for the past month and that she has developed greatly from your tutelage." Sakura clarified.

Naruto looked incredulous.

"You mean to tell me you got all that from a grunt?" He asked her.

Sakura nodded before replying.

"Yes, I've spent so much time with Sasuke over the years I can infer the meaning of each of his grumbles."

Naruto had a brief vision of what Sasuke and Sakura could do together that would make him grunt a lot. Wanting to get that horrible mental image out of his head he quickly changed the topic.

"So why did you guys pick me to help Momo? Her best skill is illusions, which I suck at. I can't really teach her anything about fire techniques either."

Sakura came up with an answer rather quickly.

"Sasuke and I can teach her anything she wants to learn in those areas. We wanted you to help her since she's a hybrid of us, and you are the person most familiar with our styles. If anyone could help her develop what she already knows and branch out, it's you."

Naruto was pleased by that, and smiled to show it.

_'I guess that makes sense.' _Naruto thought to himself. _'I did get the idea for having Momo learn to wield tonfa from Sakura. She was always weak in close combat fighting. If it wasn't for Grandma Tsunade's super strength technique, she wouldn't be any good in a fight at all.'_

Naruto would never say that out loud of course. He had seen exactly what Sakura's monstrous strength could do to someone and did not want to be on the receiving end of her punches.

_'Sasuke's weaknesses are trickier. His fire techniques leave him vulnerable, at least the fire breathing ones do. No wonder he stuck with lightning techniques once he started learning them.'_

Naruto did not realize it then, but there was a chance that the Uchiha clan, once widely known for fire techniques, might stop using them altogether someday, with the exception of their signature technique.

_'I hope what I taught Momo was enough. I wonder if I should have worked on her fire techniques.'_

Naruto's thoughts were broken when Sakura spoke up again.

"Besides, we trust you with her. We know you wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

"Of course I wouldn't!" Naruto concurred.

Little did they know Naruto was not the one to be worried about.

"Ehn." Sasuke spoke suddenly.

"That means the proctor is here and the finals will start soon." Sakura explained to Naruto, who nodded in understanding.

Indeed the proctor for the exams had arrived in the arena. It was none other then Sarutobi Konohamaru, the self proclaimed future eight Hokage. After announcing the start of the final round, the competitors not fighting yet left for their lookout, while the first round began at last.

* * *

Momo watched the battles from the private alcove. Overall, she was not impressed.

_'Maybe it's because I've spent the past month with an S-class ninja and I've grown to expect more.' _Momo reasoned to herself.

The first match between her team-mate and the rain ninja was rather one sided.

_'All the rain ninja did was create a fog to disorient Inuzuka and throw off his scent. Then he just caught Inuzuka in an illusion and pelted him with senbon until he passed out. If it wasn't for Inuzuka's dog, he would have lost much sooner. That just goes to show how valuable I am to the team.'_

Indeed, dispelling illusions was one of Momo's tasks on her team. Had her Inuzuka team-mate been paired up against another taijutsu based fighter, or been able to catch the rain ninja and engage him in close-quarters combat, he would have done better.

_'At least Aburame won his match, though it was pretty creepy.'_

Her Aburame team-mate merely used his destruction beetles to eat away at his opponent's chakra threads that were controlling her puppet. Eventually, they overcame her and sapped away her chakra.

Momo paid close attention to that battle, as she would have to face her team-mate in the next round.

As for the second fight, Momo watched it closely as well. The fighters were a team-mate of the Rain ninja, and the only other ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village to make it to the finals.

The other Leaf shinobi was from a civilian clan, so he did not have any signature techniques, but instead settled for a mastery of what he could learn. The boy seemed to have an unnatural level of skill with the basic three techniques.

Whenever the Rain ninja seemed to land a killing blow, the leaf ninja quickly used the replacement technique to evade it. The arena was soon filled with many scattered logs that appeared to come from out of nowhere.

While his clones were nothing more then a distraction, they quickly became an annoyance for the Rain ninja. The Leaf ninja seemed to be able to create them with a thought. His speed then allowed him to put distance between him and his opponent, who would be dealing with the clones.

Momo surmised the Leaf ninja must have spent much time working on his physical development to increase his strength and speed since he had nothing else to work on.

The Leaf ninja even used the transformation technique. Like Naruto, he disguised himself as a rock, and even one of the logs used for a replacement. When the Rain ninja was in range, he revealed himself and made a sneak attack.

The battle carried on in that matter. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the Leaf ninja, he was outmatched. Not even his impressive skill with his wakizashi gave him an edge against the rain ninja, whose own ninjato were electrically charged.

That worried Momo. Although she gained much skill with her tonfa in the past month, the Rain ninja had much more experience with his ninjato. Not only that, but they were electrically charged, which could counter her earth-infused tonfa.

The Rain ninja eventually won the match. Many thought that the Leaf ninja, despite losing made an impressive performance and his skill with the just the basics was incredible. His promotion was virtually assured.

Momo took it as another reason why the basic three were known to all ninja, and silently thanked Naruto for improving her own skill with them.

Since the first match of the second round would be between the Rain ninja, Momo inferred the weaker one would either forfeit, or they would fight enough to demonstrate enough of his skills before the stronger of the two claimed victory.

Momo already knew what to do if, no, when she fought her Aburame team-mate. They would both fight to the best of their ability, and with no regrets or grudges afterwards no matter who won.

Finally, it was Momo's turn to fight. She made her way down to the arena floor, and stood across from her opponent. Momo thought she could hear someone cheering for her, but brushed it off in favour of focusing on her match.

Indeed though, many people were cheering for Momo. They were her fanboys, supporters of the Uchiha clan, and even Naruto. He was waving a flag with the Uchiha emblem on it, to Sasuke and Sakura's chagrin.

"Naruto," Sakura growled out threateningly, "where did you get that?"

"There was a vendor selling them, so I thought I'd buy one to cheer on Momo." Naruto replied.

Sakura simply huffed, and silently decided to track down whoever had the gall to think they could capitalize on the Uchiha name and profit off her little girl's performance.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, doing his best to hide his nervousness, decided that during the break after Momo's match he would talk to the vendor he hired and have him close up, hand over his share of the profits, and tell him to leave town until Sakura's rage receded.

Down in the arena floor, Momo was sizing up her opponent. The Sand ninja appeared to be a foot and a half taller then her. He was tanned, and very muscular. It was obvious that he was a taijutsu fighter. Momo was already identifying his abilities.

_'My guess is he fights in close quarters while his team-mates handle the mid and long range attacks. They were a puppeteer and the fan user I beat in the preliminaries. He might have some weapon training, or earth techniques as well. This might be tough.'_

Thinking back to her training with Naruto, he identified her weaknesses and showed her how to compensate for them. Momo, surmising her opponent's most likely weaknesses determined a plan for defeating him using her strengths.

_'I should maintain my distance from him. I can use my illusions to conceal myself, and make critical attacks while disorienting him with my illusions. If I'm lucky, I can get a direct hit with the great fireball. That should end it easily. I just have to make sure not to engage him in hand-to-hand combat.'_

While Momo was coming up with a battle plan, her opponent chose this time to speak up.

"Hey, little girl!" He called out to Momo.

_'Little?' _Momo thought menacingly.

"Why don't you go back to playing house and having tea parties with your dollies. The chunin exams are a serious competition, and I'm sure you don't want to break a nail."

A silence fell over the crowd at the Sand ninja's declaration. One person did speak up, and somewhat accurately described the feelings of said crowd.

"Oh, he did not just say that." A blond female spoke to her former team-mates and childhood friends.

Sakura looked like she was mad enough to fight every Shadow and win. Sasuke, who may have been stupid enough to do so, was wisely staying quiet to avoid becoming the target of his wife's ire any more so then he already was.

Naruto was very pale, and had a sickening feeling in his stomach. It was most likely from the rage he could feel coming off from Sakura, knowing what it was like to be on the receiving end of her fists.

Back in the arena, the Sand ninja continued to seal his fate.

"Tell you what, since I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you get in a free hit."

He then closed his eyes, put his arms to his sides and raised his chin, knowing that Momo could not reach it unless she jumped at him. Too bad he failed to notice the tonfa Momo carried.

Konohamaru, noticing Momo's growing rage, wisely started the match. Momo charged in instantly.

"Yah!" Momo shouted as a battlecry.

In an instant the petite girl used the body flicker technique to close the gap between her and the Sand ninja. Using the temporary momentum of the speed boost from the technique, she thrust forward with both of her earth infused tonfa into the Sand ninja's jaw, shattering it and sending him flying backwards.

Ignoring the shocked look of the foreign spectators, and the odd look of expectance from the locals, Momo continued her assault.

Not giving the Sand ninja time to recover, Momo manoeuvred behind him. Momo then delivered a sweep kick to his legs. She quickly moved back into a battle stance, and when the Sand ninja was nearly parallel to the ground, Momo kicked him right in the back, launching him upwards. Momo then used a move she learned from Naruto, which was originally one her father copied.

Momo leapt up, somersaulted, and delivered a devastating kick to her opponent's stomach. The Sand ninja coughed up a generous amount of blood, and fell to the arena floor with a painful cracking noise.

Momo made a rather graceful landing. After a moment, she began panting slightly. Looking around in confusion, she asked Konohamaru a strange question.

"What happened? Is the match over?"

Konohamaru, who had been keeping his distance for the match, gestured to the Sand ninja's fallen form, which was being taken away by the medical ninjas, then called the match in favour of Momo.

Said girl was still in a state of surprise.

_'I wonder what happened. Oh well. At least I don't feel all that pent up energy anymore. I must have burned it out in the fight. It's strange that I don't remember it.'_

In the audience, one blond was wondering what happened as well. Luckily, the people sitting with him seemed to know.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked Sakura. Sasuke had slipped away for some reason. Sakura, seeing her daughter claim victory, had calmed down.

"Oh that? Momo has anger issues." Sakura answered.

Naruto, not so pale now but still in disbelief, was not satisfied at all by that response.

"What do you mean 'anger issues?' Momo, a sweet little girl who could kill a grown man with her ninja skills, but still a sweet little girl just beat the crap out of a guy twice her size! How is that possible?"

Sakura merely gave Naruto an "are you an idiot?" look before speaking again.

"Momo is a sweet little girl. To us anyway. To any of her fanboys and those who look down on her for being a girl she can be absolutely ruthless."

"Huh?"

Sakura sighed. Clearly Naruto would need a reminder of his youth.

"Okay, do you remember all those times you would ask me on a date, or do something else completely idiotic and I would clobber you for it?"

Naruto gulped, paled, and nodded meekly in reply.

"Well, Momo seems to have inherited my tolerance, or rather intolerance for stupidity, along with my innate strength. Anytime someone makes her mad, she assaults them until they're a bloody pulp. Oddly, she never has any memories of doing so."

Naruto had nothing to say. He was too busy trying to block out all the returning memories of being subjected to Sakura's inhuman strength.

_'Note to self,' _Naruto thought to himself, _'be as nice as possible to Momo from now on and do not get on her bad side.'_

Little did he know he was one of the few people Momo would never hurt, or how much his vow would change his relationship with her.

"Anyway," Sakura spoke up, "I'm surprised you didn't hear about it. Her rage is quite legendary around the Leaf Village. People have been comparing Momo to me and master Tsunade for quite some time now."

"I was mostly focused on learning about Momo's ninja skills, not on her personality quirks." Naruto answered. "It's funny how I never saw that side of her during our training together."

"She must like you then." Sakura said to Naruto.

"Yeah, I guess so. Aren't I the lucky one?"

Little did they know how much Momo liked Naruto, or how lucky he was.

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm calling a break now so I can address an issue before continuing. Is Momo becoming a Mary Sue? I personally don't think so. Given her parent's skill level, and that both of them have been tutoring her during her academy years, it seems plausible for Momo to be at or above Sasuke's level when he was a genin, but the twelve year-old Sasuke could still defeat twelve year-old Momo.

Momo refers to her team-mates by their family names because she's not very close to them, and because I'm too lazy to name some of the original characters in this fic.

If anyone has any questions about anything in the story let me know. I would love to explain every little nuance about the story or thought I had while writing it.


	10. Pretty Soldier Sailor Momo

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 10: Pretty Soldier Sailor Momo

The first round of the chunin exams had ended, and it was now time for the first intermission. The spectators could use this time to place additional bets on the matches, get more refreshments, use the facilities, or in the case of the Uchiha patriarch, close down a business he started to earn some extra funds.

The remaining competitors in the exam were in their waiting area, eager to begin the next round. Momo had taken the time to change for her match against her Aburame team-mate.

Knowing his destruction beetles can drain her chakra by biting her, she slipped into a navy blue jumpsuit that fit her well. It covered her skin, and was made of a strong material, protecting her from harm.

In addition, she wore her white battle skirt and navy blue t-shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back. The jumpsuit gave away too much of Momo's figure, and she did not want anyone but Naruto seeing her like that.

She also wore a pair of closed toed combat boots, a bandana covering her hair and forehead, and open fingered gloves, to let her handle her tonfa with ease.

Momo still wore the goggles Naruto gave her, and had her forehead protector around her neck, which was covered by the turtleneck of her jumpsuit. Overall, her only exposed flesh was on her fingers and face.

Right now Momo was studying the Rain genin in order to gain an estimate of their abilities. There was a good chance she would face the swordsman in the finals.

_'From what I could tell from the fight against the other Leaf Ninja, he has impressive speed and strength. He's skilled with his ninjato, and can charge them with electricity. I don't know if it's an effect of the blades, or his own affinity. Presumably, he should have a water affinity, which would allow for some synergy with his weapons.'_

It did not look good for Momo.

_'He's pretty much my worst opponent. He's bigger, stronger and faster then me. His affinities beat mine, and he's more skilled with his swords then I am with my tonfa. I'll have to rely on my sharingan in combat, and hope I can use my illusions to disorient him.'_

One thing was clear to Momo. If she were to beat the Rain genin, she would need a good plan. As for her next opponent, Momo would have to face her own team-mate in combat.

_'At least I have a good strategy for Aburame. He won't know what hit him. It's a good thing I've learned his weakness. I don't like what I'll have to do, but it's the most effective and simplest way to beat him.'_

Momo's Aburame team-mate was known for his logic and analytical ability. Momo would need to use her tactics to her fullest to beat him.

Soon enough, the intermission came to an end. Konohamaru called the Rain genin down to the arena floor to being their match, and the second round of the finals of the chunin exams.

Momo was watching the match with a critical eye, attempting to discern any weaknesses in the stronger Rain genin. She did not use her sharingan while doing so, primarily because her father advised her to only use it for training, or life and death situations. He had a good reason for this restriction.

_'According to father, anything observed while using the sharingan can never be forgotten, and will always be remembered with perfect clarity. Thus, if I only used it in combat, in my old age when the rest of my memories have faded, all I would have are memories of violence and death.'_

It was quite a horrifying thought, and explained why so many Uchiha succumbed to mental illnesses.

Still, Sasuke trusted Momo's judgement and allowed her to use the sharingan when she saw a need for it, but encouraged her not to rely on it, advising her to use it with caution.

_'Oh, the match is starting. This is going to be interesting.'_

* * *

Down on the arena floor, the two Rain genin began their fight. The first genin who fought Inuzuka quickly began retreating for cover behind the trees.

_'He must be trying to find a safe place to set-up his illusions or stealth techniques.'_

The swordsman of the Rain ninja merely withdrew his ninjato, and took a ready stance.

_'He must be waiting for the other to make the first move. Since they're team-mates, they must know each other's strengths and weaknesses.'_

Soon enough, the first Rain ninja made his move. Using the earth release: underground projection fish technique, he moved through the arena floor as if he was swimming through it.

The Rain ninja then created a series of clones. Using the sharingan for a moment, Momo identified their types.

_'I seem some basic clones, haze, and even some other illusionary clones. By the look of the other Rain genin's chakra, he's also under an illusion. So why hasn't he moved yet?'_

Indeed, the swordsman from Rain had not moved an inch. Seeing an opportunity, his team-mate's clones began their assault. As one, they all threw several kunai and shuriken at the swordsman, who stayed still. When he was mere seconds away from getting hit, the swordsman swiftly deflected the real weapons, letting the illusionary copies fade away.

Momo narrowed her eyes at the swordsman. How was he able to deflect the real weapons among the illusions? Taking a close look at him, Momo noticed something off about him.

_'His eyes are closed! If he can't see the illusions, then he must be listening for the real weapons! He might even be able to locate his opponent by feeling the vibrations in the ground. Not only that, but if I fight him, my illusions will be useless as well.'_

It would seem that history had repeated itself. Just as Momochi Zabuza once nearly defeated Hatake Kakashi in near zero visibility, the swordsman from Rain was going to defeat one, and maybe two illusionists, without ever looking at them during the fight.

_'It's too bad Inuzuka kept falling for the illusions. If he had closed his eyes and followed his nose, he might have won his fight. Although, the Rain genin did use some type of water technique to dilute his scent. I suppose it doesn't matter. Inuzuka is still too hot headed to get promoted anyway.'_

As for the Illusionist of the Rain genin, seeing how his primary form of attack was useless against his team-mate, and knowing he stood no chance against him in direct combat, he forfeited.

_'That does not bode well for me.' _Momo thought worryingly.

Up in the stands, Naruto began chatting with the people Momo, and someday he would call mom and dad.

"Remember when I beat the Rain genin team in the chunin exams all by myself? That guy down there used some of the same techniques they did."

"Yes Naruto," Sakura answered exasperatingly. "We remember. It wasn't that long ago for us.

Given Naruto's time spent in a coma, his memories of their first chunin exam were fresher in his mind then in Sakura or Sasuke's, along with other memories of their past.

"I know, I'm just thinking of our first chunin exam. It's not like I'm bragging about how I beat them all by myself, twice even!"

Sakura just gave Naruto an incredulous look.

"Un." Sasuke said to them.

"Momo's match is starting now." Sakura translated for Naruto.

The three of them then turned their attention back to the arena floor with Momo was about to start her second match.

* * *

Momo stood across from her Aburame team-mate. Konohamaru had yet to call the start of the match. At the moment, they were engaged in witty pre-combat banter.

"Un?" Momo asked Aburame.

"Ah." Aburame replied.

As odd as it seems, they actually knew exactly what the other was saying. Both were accustomed to reading body language, and as team-mates knew each other well. They could have, and have had, whole conversations using monosyllabic words.

While having their strange conversation, Momo was reviewing her plan for beating her team-mate.

_'His destruction beetles can disrupt any illusions I place on him, so demonic illusion: hell viewing technique is out. I can still use the demonic illusion: false surroundings technique to disorient him though. I happen to know just what would distract him, but I'm going to have to make some cover first.'_

Momo was confident she could win. Nodding to her team-mate, they signalled to Konohamaru that they were ready, and he started their match.

* * *

The battle between the Momo and her Aburame team-mate had gone off with a swift assault.

Aburame sent out two waves of destruction beetles, one from each sleeve. Momo used that time to charge in and engage him in close-quarters combat with her tonfa.

Aburame used his kunai to parry, but Momo's earth chakra infused hits were pushing him back. Aburame called his beetles to swarm Momo. They attempted to engulf her, distracting Momo and allowing Aburame to get to cover.

Momo was now dodging the swarms of beetles attempting to devour her chakra.

_'My suit keeps most of my skin covered, so even if they did swarm me I would be able to fight for some time. I could have kept fighting Aburame while they covered me, but that would be gross.'_

Say what you will, Momo may be a trained killer but she was still a little girl.

_'He took cover in the trees. No doubt he's going to replace himself with a bug clone and try to trap me. I should be able to see through that with my sharingan though.'_

Momo jumped back as the destruction beetles made another pass at her.

_'I have more area to evade them out in the open, but no time to prepare the great fireball to incinerate them. Wait, I know what to do!'_

Momo, using the body flicker technique, which she had practiced enough to not need hand-seals for, put some distance between her and the bug swarms.

_'I hope this works.'_

Momo took a deep breath, and fired the signature technique of the Uchiha clan at the destruction beetles.

_'Horse, tiger, fire release: great fireball technique!' _Momo thought as she made the hand seals and directed the inferno at her team-mates allies.

The destruction beetles tried to get away, but Momo put enough power in the fireball to consume the majority of them. The survivors retreated for the woods, presumably to rejoin their host.

_'Now it's time to end this.' _Momo thought as she used the body flicker technique to quickly make her way to the other end of the arena, in the woods where her team-mate was recovering.

* * *

Aburame stood against a tree. Momo's attacks had been fierce, and he had taken a few blows. He was now resting, and thankful that Momo's strikes had not done any serious harm.

His destruction beetles had just returned to him. Aburame was mildly upset by the loss of so many of them, but had been expecting something like that to happen. He was about to form a bug clone, but his allies had informed him they detected the scent of a female beetle that had attached itself to Momo.

Looking forward, Aburame noticed that Momo was standing a few metres in front of him. Momo's goggles, being tinted, prevented him from knowing whether she had her sharingan active or not.

Momo did have it active, and could tell it was her team-mate in front of her and not a big clone.

"It looks like this is it now. You've taken some hits, and lost several of your allies, while I'm just fine. Give up now, and spare yourself from any more pain." Momo said to her team-mate, and current opponent.

"I do not think it would wise for me to forfeit. Why? Simple, you are now in my trap." Aburame responded.

Suddenly, several large swarms of destruction beetles came out from behind the many trees. Momo was now surrounded.

"I believe it is you who should now give up. Why? Even though most of your skin in covered, my allies will eventually devour your armour and then your chakra. You will lose. Forfeit now, and spare yourself the shame of your loss."

Momo did not bat an eye at the large number of destruction beetles, even though they did creep her out.

_'Devour my armour? Yeah, you just want to see what's under it. That's right; I know your dirty secret. Well, I bet you haven't anticipated this!'_

Momo formed a hand seal, and created several earth clones.

"That will not work." Aburame said to her. "My allies can detect the original amongst you by your scent."

"That's not what I'm planning on using it for." Momo responded.

Aburame was confused by that statement. Even if Momo planned on fighting her way out, his allies would keep the clones from attacking him. Momo must have had some other need for them.

Momo did have a plan for them, and considered it quite sinister.

_'I know how those beetles work. They respond to the will of their host. If said host is sufficiently distracted however, they won't know what to do.'_

Momo then formed the ram seal, and cast a technique that she was counting on allowing her to defeat Aburame. A smoke cloud appeared, briefly covering up Momo and her clones. The destruction beetles were about to swarm in and attack, but stopped as their host was no longer directing them.

Aburame's lack of focus was understandable. When the smoke cover dissipated, it revealed Momo and her clones, along with several new basic clones, all appearing to be wearing a mix of school girl uniforms, sailor suits, nurse's uniforms, maid outfits, and even catgirls.

Aburame was now in a state of shock, and could not form a coherent thought. Momo was inwardly cheering.

_'Hah, I bet you didn't think I knew your secrets! I know you have a crush on me, just like almost every other boy I know. Not only that, you have a cosplay fetish!'_

Not that there's anything wrong with having a particular fetish.

With her opponent suitably unable to even remember his name, Momo moved in and knocked him out. Aburame's allies then returned to give their host aid. Momo dragged her team-mate out of the woods and set him down.

Konohamaru, confirming that Aburame was out cold, declared Momo the victor of the match. With the second round of fights over, one final intermission was called before the final match.

Momo ran back to the changing rooms to prepare for her last fight. It would take everything she had to defeat the swordsman from the Hidden Rain Village. She was going to give it her all, to make her parents proud, earn a promotion to chunin, and someday, Naruto's love as well.

* * *

Author's Notes: What? Everyone knows that Aburames, Hyuugas, and Inuzukas get along so well in teams because they're all perverts, not because of their tracking skills.

In case you're wondering what Momo's final technique did, she used a combination of the basic clone and transformation techniques to create clones of herself with a different appearance.

She also used demonic illusion: false surroundings technique to alter the appearance of the earth clones. I suppose she didn't need them, but they could have come in handy, just in case.

Demonic illusion: false surroundings technique is what Izumo and Kotetsu used in the chunin exams to change the door number, so they could weed out the weaker genin, until Sasuke blew their cover.

Also of note is that the illusion faded with a swirl, while the transformation technique is dispelled with a cloud of smoke like the shadow clone technique, which is a solid chakra construct, or that Lee blocked a kick from the transformed chunin, when if he was under an illusion, due to the height difference between his appearance and real self, Lee would have ended up getting kicked in the head. Interesting…


	11. The Melancholy of Uchiha Momo

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 11: The Melancholy of Uchiha Momo

With the semi-finals of the third part of the chunin exams now over, another intermission was taking place. This one was longer then the previous break, to give spectators plenty of time for last minute bets on the final match.

Having won her second match, Momo made her way to the kunoichi's changing room. Along the way, she mentally reviewed the battle she had with her team-mate, attempting to discern whether she revealed too much of her skills.

_'Let's see, I used the body flicker technique to dodge the destruction beetles, and the fire release: great fireball to incinerate them. I also used my tonfa against him when I engaged him in close-quarters combat.'_

While Momo reviewed her mental checklist, her body moved on autopilot. She was almost to the changing room.

_'I don't think anything I revealed is of concern to the Rain swordsman. His sword skills should easily trump my tonfa skill, even with my sharingan. If I use the great fireball technique, he'd most likely use a water technique to counter it. My speed might be my only advantage.'_

Momo was grateful Naruto had taught her the body flicker technique, and how to effectively utilize it in combat. It just might give her the edge she needed.

_'Since my illusions are useless against him, the best plan I can think of is send my earth clones against him, watch his movements with my sharingan as he fights them, and try to find an opening I can exploit.'_

Momo's thoughts were broken as she entered the changing room. Being the only kunoichi left in the tournament, Momo had here privacy here.

_'Huh, I get the whole place to myself. That's kind of nice.'_

Growing up with five siblings, her parents, and a staff of nannies, maids, groundskeepers and others, Momo had learned to value moments like this.

Soon, Momo had changed back into her now standard attire. She wore her navy blue t-shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back, much like her father once wore. A navy blue pair of bicycle shorts and white skirt, just like her mother once wore, went with it.

Instead of bandage wraps or pink elbow wraps like Sakura used to wear, Momo wore elbow and knee guards. The added protection would be of use for blocking, rolling, and striking attacks. Given that Momo may need to do a lot of dodging in her next match, they were sure to be useful.

Momo was not wearing sandals, but combat boots and black socks. Due to the climate of Fire Country, wearing sandals was very common. Momo however, was more practical minded then fashion oriented, and preferred the extra protection.

Her forehead protector was around her neck still, as Momo still found it awkward wearing it with her goggles. She had grown accustomed to them, especially how they were tinted to protect her eyes from the sunlight.

_'I wonder why more people don't wear sunglasses? I've only ever seen the Aburame clan wearing any.' _Momo wondered.

Momo's hair was tied into a bun, with a pair of acupuncture needles holding it in place. Should Momo be forced into a desperate situation, they would be her last resort.

Finally, Momo pulled on a pair of fingerless, metal backed gloves. They would keep her hands safe, and allow her to wield her tonfa with ease.

Having finished getting changed, Momo took one last look at herself in the mirror. Confident that she looked like a serious kunoichi, Momo left the changing rooms for the contestant's waiting lounge, to prepare for her final match.

* * *

As Momo changed her attire for her final match, Naruto was discussing Momo's fight with her, and the one's he would someday see as his, parents.

"So what do you think she did?" Naruto asked them.

Due to the cover from the trees, only Konohamaru knew what really happened.

"Hn." Sasuke pointed out.

Again Naruto looked at Sakura for a translation. She merely sighed again.

_'I'm going to have to teach Naruto how to understand Sasuke. I know I'll never get him to speak up, at least not outside the bedroom that is.'_

The less said about that, the better.

Suppressing a giggle and light blush, Sakura explained to Naruto what Sasuke said.

"Naruto, Momo just fought her team-mate, so whatever she did to win the match either involved something she learned from you, so her team-mate wouldn't expect it, or she exploited a weakness of his, possibly both."

Naruto accepted that explanation.

"That's true, I suppose. I should have known that."

He then slumped down in his chair.

Sakura looked over at Naruto, noticed his unease.

_'He must be feeling embarrassed now. It was just a simple question, but he must feel like it was a stupid one. I should do something to cheer him up.'_

"Momo's speed was impressive, and she used the body flicker technique quite well. Her skills with her tonfa are also impressive considering she's only had them just under a month. You've obviously trained her well."

Sakura's comment immediately brightened Naruto up. Receiving a compliment from her was very rare for Naruto, and it was always appreciated.

"You think so? I just had her master the basic three, learn to wield tonfa to give her an edge in close quarters combat, and a couple of ninja techniques. Momo didn't get stronger just because of me, she was already really good."

"Don't be so humble, it's not like you. Sure, Momo has a lot of skill, but you helper her just as much as we did, and just like you helped us too."

"Huh?" Naruto said with a confused look. "How did I help you guys?"

Sakura giggled at Naruto's confusion.

"You were the one who was always there for us, encouraging us and never giving up. You were an inspiration for us, and we knew you'd do the same for our little girl."

Naruto was now beaming from Sakura's praise.

"Aww, thanks Sakura. It was nothing though, really. You guys and Momo are the talented ones. All my encouragement wouldn't mean a thing if you weren't all so good already."

"I told you to stop being so humble. We never would have been as good as we are if you wasn't for you."

"You never would have been so good if you didn't already have what it took to be so good. I still say you're the amazing one Sakura."

Sakura felt oddly pleased by Naruto's praise.

"Thank you." Sakura said quietly, with a blush, not making eye contact with Naruto.

Sasuke watched the interplay between his wife and best friend, and was actually pleased by it.

_'Sakura has never been as happier now that Naruto's back in our lives. I never noticed how much his attention affected her. I have to admit, even I've been feeling better with him around.'_

Sasuke, although he would never admit it, had a problem showing affection. It showed in how much Sakura was affected by a compliment from Naruto. Even Sakura realized this.

_'Ever since I started dating Sasuke, Naruto stopped trying to get my attention, and hardly even spoke to me. I never realized how much I missed his affections. Sasuke, he's everything I ever wanted, but he's never admired me as much as Naruto did.'_

"How did you find time to raise six children and still run a medical clinic? I mean, wouldn't you also need maternity leave too?" Naruto further inquired.

Pushing aside thoughts and feelings Sakura thought were long buried, she then answered Naruto's question.

"It's simple really. We used surrogate mothers so I could focus on my career."

Naruto just stared at Sakura blankly. Looking at him, she sighed and explained it in more detail.

"A surrogate mother carries a fertilized egg and lets it's develop in her womb. That way I didn't have to go on maternity leave, and was always at full strength."

"Oh, I get it." Naruto said, but Sakura was not too sure he did. "So who was Momo's surrogate mother?"

"It was a woman named Asami. She was one of Sasuke's former admirers." Sakura answered. "She was quite enthusiastic about the idea as well. I think she just liked being able to say she was carrying Uchiha Sasuke's child."

"Hn." Sasuke said offensively.

"Sasuke!" Sakura chided, "that's not very nice of you to say!"

Naruto was confused.

"What did he say?" He asked Sakura.

"What my darling husband, who might be sleeping on the couch tonight meant to say, is that he's quite glad his former admirers, not useless fangirls, were the surrogate mother's for his children so his wife, who he loves very much and is quite beautiful, can keep running her own medical clinic and stay close to home." Sakura replied in one breath with a sickeningly sweet tone and a creepy smile on her face.

Naruto, who was starting to pale and frighten a bit at Sakura's tone, turned to look at Sasuke, who looked like he needed a change of pants.

"Is that right?" Naruto asked the condemned man.

Sasuke could only nod in response.

_'Man, Sasuke is whipped.' _Naruto thought to himself. _'Now I'm glad he got together with Sakura instead of me. I don't know what I'd do with a girl like her.'_

It is a good thing then that Momo was not exactly like Sakura.

"So, what happened to the women who were your surrogates then?" Naruto asked.

"Well, while they were pregnant they got to stay with us so I could observe and take care of them. They were all treated very well, since we could afford a large staff to look after things." Sakura explained.

Having a lot of excess funds and a large estate, Sasuke and Sakura hired several maids, nannies, and others to help with taking care of their large family while keeping their careers. It made for a unique home life for the restarted Uchiha clan.

"After they gave birth, we named them the godmother of the child. It seemed appropriate. We even gave them a house in the Uchiha property, so they could stay close by." Sakura finished explaining.

"That was nice of you guys." Naruto said to them.

"Thank you. We felt alone in the district, and this way we could slowly open the district up while forming bonds with it's new residents. Eventually we did open up the remaining property to the public."

"Any chance I could get a house near you guys?" Naruto asked them. "I wouldn't mind staying close by."

Sakura looked like she wanted to say yes, but had to turn Naruto down,

"As much as we would love to have you closer to us, the only properties near ours are reserved for our children so their families can stay close. The only other homes are on the outskirts."

"Oh well, it was worth a shot." Naruto replied with a pout while crossing his arms.

Sakura meanwhile, was giggling at Naruto's slightly childish actions.

"Well, if you want to move in with us, you could wait until we're senior citizens. You'll be just middle aged, and would be welcome to take care of us." Sakura joked.

Naruto shook his head in response to that before actually replying.

"Nah, I don't want to be that close. Besides, couldn't you guys just pay someone to take care of you?"

Sakura thought about that for a moment.

"I suppose we could, but I'd feel better if it was someone we trusted watching over us. When we're older we'll be more vulnerable, so it would be nice if someone close to us was keeping us safe."

A sullen look came over the former team seven. Knowing Naruto would live the longest brought both joy and sadness to all of them. They were joking about it a second ago, but now it felt uncomfortable. Luckily, Naruto never knew when to stay quiet.

"Don't worry about it." Naruto said with a smile on his face. "I'll find a way to watch over you guys. You're the closest friends I have, and we're practically family. I'll keep you both safe, believe it!"

Naruto's words brought comfort to his former team-mates.

_'Naruto, you always know how to cheer a person up, don't you?' _Sakura thought. _'Not only that, but you're always looking out for your friends and those you consider family. You would do everything you can to protect them.'_

For a second, Sakura considered what it would have been like if she had married Naruto instead of Sasuke.

_'No, it's too late to think like that. Naruto is a great guy, and I'm sure he'll make a lucky girl very happy someday.'_

Sakura had been admiring Naruto now, and noticed his face became serious again. It seemed that something was concerning him. Curious about what it could be, Sakura addressed Naruto.

"What's wrong, you look like something's bothering you now?"

Naruto exhaled deeply, and answered Sakura.

"I was just thinking of what you're guys' home like must be like. I know you and Sasuke are both working all the time during the day, and only have the weekends and holidays off. You must not have much time to spend with all your kids."

Naruto was not aware, but this topic was a sore spot for his former team-mates. He was right, Sakura and Sasuke did not have a lot of time to spend with their kids, and neither of them was willing to give up their careers.

_'It almost broke us apart.' _Sakura thought. _'Luckily we managed to work out a solution, but even so, it's still not an optimal one.'_

Sakura came up with the idea for using a surrogate mother while she and Sasuke donated their genetic material. After some convincing, Sasuke agreed to the idea. He also conceded to hiring a staff to help them.

Sasuke did not want to admit it, but the thought of a woman other then his wife carrying his child, even if Sakura was still the biological mother, made him uncomfortable.

Not only that, but he was reluctant to hire a staff. He was untrusting of them at first, and felt it hurt his pride to need help. In the end though, if he wanted a new family, and with Sakura, it was the best way to go about having one.

"I mean," Naruto continued, unaware of his companions unease, "they must have spent more time with your hired help then with either of you. How do you manage to have a large family and keep your careers?"

"It's not easy." Was all Sakura said.

Sasuke was silent.

Naruto could tell they did not feel like saying anymore regarding the current topic. Settling for inward reflection, Naruto focused his thoughts, and entered his mindscape.

* * *

Naruto paced in front of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon's cell, where the demon in question was taking a nap. Pacing in his mindscape had become a habit of Naruto's. One day he discovered that time in his mindscape passed by much slower then it did outside. While an hour could seem to pass here, a second would go by in the real world.

Unfortunately, it was only good for those rare occasions when Naruto was required to do something he rarely did, and always tried to avoid. It was good because it gave Naruto time to think.

Currently, Naruto was pondering what he just discovered of his team-mates home life. What he found out concerned him.

_'It seems like they're hardly there for their children. What kind of a life is that?'_

Memories of his own childhood came to Naruto in glimpses. His own past was as unmemorable as it was unpleasant. To him, everything prior to the day of his third genin exam was a blur.

_'If I ever have a family of my own, I will always be there for them.'_

Naruto knew what it was like to grow up without parents. His children would never know what that was like.

_'I wonder how Momo dealt with this? I'm guessing she made some friends in the academy. She was popular with the boys, although she found them to be a nuisance. I don't know if she had any friends among the girls though.'_

Thinking of Momo made Naruto remember the time he spent with her recently.

_'Heh, I've probably been the person she's spent the most time with lately. Come to think of it, I haven't gotten close to anyone except her lately either. I wonder what she's doing now.'_

Naruto made a passing glance at the fox, who was still asleep, thus received no answer from it.

_'There's still some time left in the intermission. I'll check on her and see how she's doing.'_

Naruto then disappeared from his mindscape, just as the fox rolled over and started snoring.

* * *

In the early days of the chunin exams, all fights took place immediately after the other. However, during the fateful exams where the Hidden Sand and Sound villages, the matched were delayed to allow Uchiha Sasuke to arrive for his own fight.

The nobles and other potential clients in attendance used the delay to place additional bets, use the facilities, and take care of other matters. Thus the delay turned out to have a benefit. Later exams would incorporate intermissions between rounds to accommodate this discovery.

Therefore, instead of a plain viewing terrace for the contestants, they now had a luxurious waiting lounge to occupy. It had tables, chairs, vending machines, and other amenities. The Swordsman from the Hidden Rain Village was not here, having left to meditate in private before the finals. Momo sat a table by herself, eating a granola bar.

"You know," Naruto said to Momo, who jumped in surprise, "those things don't taste very good. It's like eating cardboard."

Discovering it was only Naruto who sneaked up on her, and glad she did not start choking, Momo calmed down.

_'It's okay, there's nothing to be ashamed about having someone as great as Naruto sneak up on you.' _Momo thought to herself.

Momo then took a few deep breaths, and swallowed some water to relax herself.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked her.

"I'm fine, you just surprised me." Momo replied.

Naruto started scratching the back of his neck, a habit Momo learned indicated he was nervous.

"Sorry about that. I didn't think you'd get so scared."

"I was not scared!" Momo replied indignantly. "It's not polite to sneak up on someone like that!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, alright?" Naruto said as he waved his hands up in self defence.

Momo "hmphed" and crossed her arms, pouting slightly, not unlike how Naruto did earlier with Sakura.

_'I swear, no matter what it takes, I'll make sure he can never do that to me again!' _Momo thought to herself.

Having got to know her, Naruto knew Momo was not too upset, just acting like she was so someone would do something nice for her to cheer her up.

_'I used to do that too. That's kind of sad now that I think about it.'_

Resolving to address that issue later, Naruto complimented Momo on her success so far.

"You did a great job out there Momo! You were great!"

"You really think so?" Momo asked Naruto, with a pink tinge to her cheeks. It seemed she would never be able to completely stop blushing when Naruto praised her.

"Yeah, it was incredible how you beat that first guy! I never thought you had it in you! I figured you'd just distract him with an illusion, and when he was off-guard, bam, toast him with a fireball!"

Still unable to remember how she beat her first opponent, Momo settled for watching Naruto's re-enactment of the fight with a shadow clone of his.

_'Hmm, the plan Naruto thought I would use is very similar to what I had in mind. Am I too predictable?' _Momo thought as she watched Naruto's performance.

Momo was not paying attention to how the fight actually went, but to Naruto's over the top performance. She even giggled as Naruto as he did so. His acting was not bad, and the time spent with Momo allowed him to do a flattering impression of her.

Having finished his routine, Naruto noticed Momo was smiling and even laughing a bit.

_'That cheered her up nicely. I hope she can keep that positive attitude up for her next match.'_

Naruto knew it would not be an easy fight for her.

_'Then again, that's what I'm here for. It would be unfair of me to give her advice, so I'll just give her some moral support. I'll ask about her home life later, when it's more appropriate.'_

"So," Naruto began, "any good drinks in the vending machine? I'm getting thirsty."

Momo shook her head.

"No, there's nothing good. I just got a bottle of water to wash down the granola bar."

Momo had finished eating it before Naruto's re-enactment of her first match. Everyone knows laughing while eating is a good way to start choking.

"Okay then, I'll get for myself."

As Naruto obtained a bottle from the vending machine, he remembered an incident that happened during a break in Momo's training. They were both resting in a field, having some water while holding a conversation.

As one person spoke, the other would drink some water. What neither realized is that were both using the same bottle, thus they had several indirect kisses.

It was not until they reached for the bottle at the same time, brushing over each others hands, that they realized what they were doing.

Ever since that day, they each brought their own water bottle and kept a close eye on it.

Taking a gulp from the cool bottle of water, Naruto noted the time displayed by the clock on the wall.

_'It's almost time for Momo's final match. I better give her a last minute pep talk.'_

Naruto sat down next to Momo, and placed his water bottle where he would not mistake it for her's.

"Your match is going to start soon."

Momo checked the clock, and noticed there was only a few minutes left in the intermission.

"I know it seems like you've got a tough opponent, and the odds are against you, but don't worry about it. You're a strong shinobi, and your parents and I believe in you, so you'll do fine."

Naruto's words comforted Momo.

"Just remember, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, you've still got a strong chance of being promoted anyway. Just do your best out there, and we'll be proud of you."

Momo was smiling happily now.

"Now go out there and kick that guy's butt!" Naruto exclaimed, almost ruining the moment.

They got up, and Momo was about to leave, when Naruto did something unexpected. He pulled her into a hug.

"For good luck." Naruto said after releasing her.

Momo was too flustered now to think straight.

"Thank you." Momo managed to reply.

"You're welcome. Now get going."

Momo then ran off to her match, exhilarated from Naruto's embrace, and confident in her chances.

_'Naruto and my parents are both proud of me. I won't let them down. I will win!'_

Back in the break room, Naruto went to pick up his water bottle, and froze.

_'I forgot which one was mine.'_

Sighing, Naruto picked up both of them.

_'Oh well, no sense letting both go to waste.'_

In a way, one more indirect kiss between Naruto and Momo would not make a difference. They would be having their first real kiss soon enough anyway.

* * *

Author's Notes: Looking back on this chapter, I think I could have done better in regards to Sakura's thoughts. Initially I was concerned it appeared to be biased towards Naru/Saku and against Sasu/Saku. I do in fact prefer the latter, but try not to let my feelings on a particular pairing show so as not to appear unprofessional. I've seen many stories bash Sakura and Sasuke for becoming a couple while Naruto wallows in angst, but never one that had him accept the change, not portray any of them in a negative light, or have Naruto move on to see Sakura and Sasuke, as well as their eventual children, as the family he never had.

I think a better way of handling it would be to not show any regret on Sakura's part for choosing Sasuke, but for letting her new relationship allow her to grow distant from Naruto. Instead, she could have decided to help Naruto find someone so he could know the happiness she now did. That would help explain her eventual acceptance of Momo's feelings for Naruto and willingness to support them; she wants both to be happy while making up for her past actions. That is what eventually happens though, so while I now would have done some things differently, the end result is the same.

Another thought, is the age difference really an issue, given the context of the Naruto world and the culture of the country it is based upon? As the age of consent in Japan is thirteen (and I must say once more that Naruto and Momo did not take their relationship to a physical level until she turned eighteen, as well as nothing graphic will appear in this fic) I get the feeling this story would appeal better to an Eastern demographic, where relationships like this could be more common. I don't know for sure if they are though.


	12. Magical Girl Lyrical Momo

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 12: Magical Girl Lyrical Momo

Having given Momo a last minute pep-talk, Naruto left the contestant's waiting lounge and returned to his seat next to Sakura and Sasuke.

"The crowd's starting to return now." Naruto observed of the arriving audience members.

As the final intermission was almost over, the spectators were returning from the betting booths, refreshment stands, and washrooms in droves.

"I wonder how many people bet on Momo to win?" Naruto wondered aloud, his hand cupping his chin in a thinking pose.

"You didn't bet on my little girl, did you?" Sakura asked Naruto with a dangerous glint in her eye.

"No, of course not!" Naruto said, hastily defending himself. "You know my luck with gambling, I wouldn't use Momo's participation in the exams to profit off her."

Sasuke tried his best to stay calm, quickly scanned the area for all possible exits, and hoped that no one found his betting stubs.

"It would be like grandma Tsunade betting against Momo to make sure she won. If that happened, we wouldn't know if Momo won from her own skill, or grandma's bad luck." Naruto continued, not noticing Sasuke's fight or flight response triggering.

In a second, Sakura's look went from evil back to cheery, and Sasuke's heart rate slowly returned to it's normal levels.

"That's good then. Knowing your luck, as well as master's, I bet Momo's opponent would have caught some rare disease and would have to withdraw, or get hit by a meteor." Sakura commented.

Stranger things have happened.

"It's too bad grandma couldn't come out today." Naruto said solemnly.

Sakura nodded at that.

"Yes, it would have been nice for her to see Momo's matches." Sakura replied. "You know how she is these days though."

It was Naruto's turn to nod now, as he began thinking of the woman he grew to think of as his grandmother.

Tsunade was still alive, apparently too stubborn to die. It was said she would not let herself pass away until Naruto became Hokage, and finally gave her a grandchild. For once, Naruto was smart enough to not point out that his children would be more like Tsunade's great-grandchildren.

While Naruto was in his coma, she stayed by his side at all times, searching for a way to heal him. She stopped caring about her age, and no longer used her youthful illusion.

Once Naruto awoke, she became a very private person. Sakura and Sasuke offered her a place in their home, so they could take care of her, but Tsunade was still a proud woman, and turned them down.

That, and she did not like the idea of being stuck in a house full of kids, especially Uchiha kids. Instead, she lived on her own, and offered private medical lessons to anyone who was interested.

"I'll take Momo to see her soon." Naruto said, surprising Sakura and Sasuke. "I was planning on visiting her anyway, and I bet Momo would like to see her again."

Naruto, caught up in his plans, did not notice the guilty look on Sakura's face.

"I bet grandma Tsunade will be real impressed by Momo's growth, and how much I helped her too! Say, how long has it been since she's seen Momo anyway?" Naruto asked Sakura.

Sakura eyes were darting around nervously, and she caught a glimpse of Momo walking into the arena.

"Oh look! Momo's match is about to start!" Sakura said, changing the subject.

"Hey, you're right! Go Momo! You can do it!" Naruto cheered.

Sakura sunk into her seat, glad Naruto had not pressed her for an answer. Her falling out with Tsunade, despite her efforts to mend their rift, was not something she wanted him to find out about just yet, if ever.

* * *

For the final time today, Momo stood on the arena ground, awaiting the start of her final match. Her opponent was standing across from her, and remained in his ready stance.

The swordsman appeared to be wearing a bulky kimono. Most likely it was concealing body armour, or hidden weapons. What was most strange was the blindfold he now wore. Momo surmised it was additional insurance against her illusions, to further keep him from accidentally making eye contact with her.

Both the swordsman and Momo were ready to begin, and seemed to be on a hair trigger. Momo was not the least bit nervous, having received a last minute pep talk from Naruto.

_'I'm ready to fight! Let's start this already.' _She thought to herself, the anticipation steeling her nerves.

Having already reviewed her plan for the fight, Momo was ready to go at a moment's notice. That was fortunate, as Konohamaru, confirming both contestants were ready to begin, started the final match of the chunin exams.

Forming the hand seal for the earth clone technique, Momo quickly summoned four earth clones to converge on the swordsman. Her sharingan was active, and would allow her to read the movements of the swordsman to detect a weakness.

The earth clones, having formed around the swordsman instead of next to Momo thanks to her developing skill with the technique, circled around the swordsman each attacked from a different position. Two attacked the swordman from his sides, one sought to land a coward's wound on his back, while the last rushed head on, in true Naruto fashion. Whether Momo would win in true Naruto fashion was yet to be seen.

The clones charging from the front and back made the first move, stopping their approach short and hurling their kunai and shuriken at the swordsman. The swordsman quickly turned to his left side, held his ninjato up, and deftly blocked each kunai and shuriken. They fell to the ground, turning back into the earth they were formed from.

By this point, the other two earth clones had made their move. The one now attacking the swordsman's back went low, aiming for his legs with it's tonfa, while the other aimed for his midsection.

Displaying an advanced amount of speed, the swordsman jumped up and landed behind the earth clone, narrowly avoiding it's attack. It fell to the ground, and was shortly cut down by the swordsman. The second earth clone, rapidly adjusting it's attack to compensate for it's comrade's demise, tried to strike back, but was cut down just as rapidly by the swordsman.

The remaining two earth clones were already on their way. Before they could make a move, the swordsman pointed his ninjato at them, and a streak of lighting, emanating from the tips of the ninjato, struck both earth clones. Having been hit by a direct attack from their opposing element, the earth clones fell apart, and back into their element.

At that moment, the swordsman danger senses flared. Letting go of his ninjato, which were hanging from his wrists by straps on their hilts, he formed a series of hand-seals. A protective wall of water appeared next to him, and was promptly hit by a large fireball. While the wall of water hissed as it was being evaporated by the fireball, the swordsman clutched his ninjato again, and returned to his ready stance.

The fireball and the wall of water dissipated, and Momo found herself staring at the blindfolded swordsman, panting from loss of breath. Their exchange had taken only moments, but felt much longer.

_'I used up quite a bit of my chakra, and he barely did anything. What am I going to do?' _Momo thought to herself, regarding her situation.

There would be no more time for Momo to ponder, as the swordsman began to take a proactive approach. If it was not for the time she spent developing her skill with the replacement technique with Naruto, Momo would have been hit hard by the swordsman's attack. As it stood, she narrowly managed to switch herself with one of the logs left lying around the arena from a previous match.

_'He's fast! I don't think I can keep up with him.' _Momo thought worriedly.

The swordsman tried a follow-up attack, but Momo was ready for it. Skilfully evading his attacks through the use of the replacement technique, Momo made her way to the tree-line. Using the body flicker technique for a last boost of speed, Momo made her way up into the cover of one of the trees. There she paused to collect her breath, thinking she was safe.

_'I should be okay now, as long as I stay still, he shouldn't be able to find me.'_

Not less then a second later, Momo heard the crackling of electricity, and jumped from her hiding spot. A ball of lightning collided with the tree, turning her former perch into scorched wood.

_'How did he know I was there? Damn, he must be a sensor ninja too.'_

The distance between Momo and her nemesis was her saving grace, as it forced him to use long range attacks, which she had a better time evading, and did not need the use of ninja techniques to do so. Still, evading them was not easy, and tiring for her.

_'I can't keep this up for much longer. My chakra's low, and I can't keep eating soldier pills all day, they'll damage my chakra coils if I use too many of them.'_

Unless it was a life or death matter, risking one's health and future as a ninja was not recommended. Momo had not taken a soldier pill yet, from both having relied on old fashioned methods of regaining her strength, and being taught to ration their use. She would be able to get away with using a soldier pill just once.

_'I guess I have no choice, it's now or never. Well, if I'm going down, I'm going down fighting.'_

Making up her mind, Momo chomped down a solider pill, withdrew her tonfa, and prepared for her last stand. Concentrating on performing a seal-less body flicker just as Naruto had taught her, Momo fired herself out from her hiding spot, and directly into the swordsman, attacking him head on with a sneak attack. It was definitely a Naruto inspired tactic.

The swordsman was surprised for only a moment. He could sense Momo's chakra being restored, presumably by a soldier pill, and her moulding it for a ninja technique. The displacement of air from the use of the body flicker technique momentarily caught him off guard, but he was still able to place his ninjato before him, blocking Momo's tonfa.

The two of them then began to exchange blows in close quarters combat. One would lead with an attack with one weapon only to find it blocked by one of their's opponent's weapons of choice. The defender would then go on the attack with their other weapon, creating a dangerous back and forth assault.

With the aid of her sharingan, Momo was able to predict her opponent's moves. It did her little good, as his superior speed and strength left her at the same disadvantage that her father once had against Rock Lee. The best she could do was keep an eye out for an opening in the swordsman's nearly flawless stance, while rolling with the punches.

Despite her recent physical conditioning and practice in close combat, Momo soon found herself tiring out, and taking quite a few minor wounds. Her tonfa had been scratched and scorched by the ninjato of her opponent, and their electrical charge respectively.

The swordsman however, still had plenty of stamina, and his ninjato were in good condition. He could easily tell Momo was tiring, and took full advantage of it. Lashing out with his ninjato, he forced Momo to block them, only to reveal it was a feint, allowing him to deliver a brutal kick to Momo's abdomen.

The pain from the blow caused Momo to pitch forward and drop her tonfa, as she became unable to maintain her grip on them. The swordsman was not done though, as he shifted his ninjato to a reverse grip and slammed them down hard on her shoulders, causing her to collapse.

The swordsman then gazed down on Momo's fallen form, confident she would not be getting back up again. He was surprised though, although he made sure no one could tell, when Momo began to stir. She slowly pulled herself up and back onto her feet while gasping for air, refusing to stay down.

"Hey you," Momo said, addressing her opponent in a rude manner while breathing hard, "Is that the best you can do? I know an of old granny who hits harder then that."

The swordsman growled, his calm exterior slowly breaking apart. Momo, despite the pain she was in, and the difficulty she had breathing, managed a slight giggle at his loss of composure. Under other circumstances, it would have made her seem cute, but it only made the swordsman angrier.

"You should just give up little girl. If you choose to keep fighting, you will regret it." The swordsman responded, speaking at last.

A familiar grin appeared on Momo's face, as she stopped gasping for air and delivered a familiar line.

"Why don't you give up trying to make me give up!"

Her fighting spirit renewed, Momo Charged forward once more. Picking up her tonfa, Momo engaged the swordsman in another close-quarters duel. This time, she threw all notions of self defence to the wind, lashing out with kicks and hits from her tonfa that delivered painful blows to the swordsman in exchange for wounds of her own. Momo's newfound energy gave her a slight edge, and the swordsman found himself being pushed into a corner.

"Where did this new attitude come from?" He said aloud, unaware he was doing so. "You weren't nearly this confident, or more accurately, reckless before."

The swordsman, unnerved by Momo's fierce determination, momentarily dropped his guard while speaking, and Momo took full advantage of it. Converting some of her remaining chakra into the earth element and channelling it into her tonfa, Momo thrust her weapons forward and into the swordsman's abdomen, breaking through his concealed armour and hitting him hard.

The blow was clearly very painful, as the swordsman let out a deep wheeze, and fell forward onto his knees. Momo only had seconds to act now before he recovered, but felt compelled to get in one more taunt.

"You want to know why I'm so strong? It's because of my nindo. My name is Uchiha Momo! I don't give up and I don't go back my word! That's my way of the ninja! Believe it!"

Not wasting any more time, Momo reached forward, pulled off the swordsman's blindfold, forced his eyes open and looked directly into them, her sharingan's commas whirling.

"Time to face your worst fears. Demonic illusion: hell viewing technique!"

The swordsman's world went black, and he screamed.

* * *

Naruto looked over at Sakura and Sasuke, and noted they seemed indifferent to the turn in the battle.

"Um, guys?" Naruto asked, awkwardly. "Why aren't you more upset?"

Sakura just blinked, and Sasuke gave Naruto another "are you an idiot look", which Naruto countered with his "shut up, you" look. Sakura was obviously the one who answered him.

"What do we have to be upset about?" Sakura asked in response. "Momo's about to win. She couldn't have done it without your help."

Naruto shook his head.

"That's not what I'm talking about. How are you guys okay with me influencing Momo like that?"

Sakura blinked again, looked at Sasuke, and began laughing hysterically. Even Sasuke was chuckling a bit. Naruto huffed again and crossed his arms, not amused one little bit. Eventually, Sakura calmed down and answered him.

"If you're referring to Momo quoting you, and sharing your verbal tic, remember you got that line from Jiraiya's first book. We read it to her, and our other kids as a child, along with telling them stories about the three of us when we were all on a team together."

Sakura sighed and looked away from Naruto for a moment, apparently remembering the good times they once had together when they were younger. Clearing her mind, and throat, she turned back to Naruto and continued.

"I know she spent some time with Hinata lately, so she may have heard your nindo from her. Hinata did copy it from you first."

The look on Naruto's face showed he was unsure of how to feel about that. He had become aware of Hinata's feelings for him, but did not return them, preferring to stay friends.

"As for the verbal tic, I can't really explain that." Sakura said with a shrug. "So, if anything," she continued, "Sasuke and I, and maybe Hinata are the ones to blame for corrupting Momo's innocent young mind."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief after hearing that, glad he was off the hook.

"So that's why she's so similar to me." Naruto said in an excited manner. "You two missed me so much you brainwashed your kids to act like me!"

Sakura looked horrified at that idea, and Sasuke maintained a guarded look.

"We didn't do that!" Sakura quickly stated in her defence. "Like I said, we just told them bedtime stories that were merely edited accounts of our experiences as team seven. We stopped telling them to Momo once she entered the ninja academy."

Shrugging, Naruto let it go.

"Although she may have been affected on a subconscious level…" Sakura said under her breath.

As Sakura tried to reassure Naruto that she and Sasuke were not secretly trying to get their kids to emulate him, Sasuke felt relieved that he dodged another bullet.

_'Maybe I should stop taking the kids out to Ichiraku so much. Or trying to get them to take an interest in houseplants, and wear orange. Although Momo's bonsai trees are nice, and I can always say Shippo and Arashi are acting like Obito…'_

Distracted by thoughts of one of his many schemes that Sakura must never discover, Sasuke almost missed the end of Momo's match.

* * *

All the swordsman from the Hidden Rain Village could see was blackness. He did not understand why, as the demonic illusion: hell viewing technique should have shown him his worst fear, and he was not afraid of the dark. In fact, the swordsman had embraced it.

In a moment though, the darkness was pierced by many lights, and the swordsman found himself standing in a place he hoped to never be in again. All around him were large tents, games, and rides. He was in a circus. This was not his greatest fear though, it was something you find at a circus.

The swordsman looked around in a panic, unable to close his eyes. It was as if he no longer possessed eyelids. The bright lights of the circus were hurting him, as his eyes were attuned to the darkness. How he longed to be back in the gloom of his safe place.

"Oh cheer up why don't you." A disembodied voice called out to him, punctuated by the honking of a horn.

Slowly, as if he could not control his body, the swordsman turned and faced the source of the voice, and his worst fear.

His gaze was low, and the first thing he noticed was the large, oversized red shoes of his mortal enemy. As his gaze raised, he took note of the ridiculous outfit his enemy wore. It was an orange, yellow and pink polka-dotted piece of nightmare fuel if he ever saw one! Raising his gaze higher, he saw the comically large bowtie, make-up covered face, giant red nose, and ludicrous wig and hat of the one he hated, and yet feared so much.

"What's going on here?" Another one called out.

The swordsman again felt compelled to turn and look at source of the next voice. This one was dressed similarly to the first, but carried a rubber chicken, which he kept squeezing, making it squeak in an unbearable fashion.

"Hey, what's going on?" Said a third of the evil beings.

This one carried several long balloons, which he tied into various animal shapes, letting out a squeaking noise that sounded worse then nails on a chalkboard with each twist and bend of the balloon. Once complete, the animals made agonized wails, as if they were in immense pain.

Just as fast as the first three appeared, more and more of the diabolical entities arrived. Some appeared out of nowhere, others arrived riding on elephants, giraffes, and other exotic animals. At one point, a little car came up, and one of the evil beings exited it, followed by more and more.

It was maddening to the swordsman. How many of them were in that car! How did they all fit inside of it? His mind could find no answer that would satisfy him, and it drove him mad. By this point, the swordsman was completely surrounded by those who frightened him the most.

Clowns.

Eventually the swordsman, unable to maintain his sanity, broke down and collapsed, in the illusion and the real world.

* * *

Momo looked down at the prone form of her opponent. Moments ago, he was put under a powerful illusion. Shortly into it, he screamed, and fainted, pulling himself into a little ball.

_'Wow, he must have some really deep fears. I was real lucky to catch him in that illusion then.'_

Retrieving her ninja wire from her pouch, Momo securely tied up her opponent. She then took her tonfa, and crossed them in front of his neck, giving the appearance she was about to cut the swordsman's head off as if the tonfa were a pair of scissors.

"Proctor," Momo called out to Konohamaru, "my opponent in unconscious and I can kill him with ease. I claim victory!"

Nodding at Momo, Konohamaru called the match in her favour.

_'I did it!' _Momo thought to herself. _'I won, I actually won!'_

Momo was elated now, and felt like she could walk on air. So euphoric, Momo did not notice her strength leaving her from chakra exhaustion and the wounds inflicted upon her during the match.

No longer capable of holding onto her tonfa, she dropped them to the ground, her body falling after them. Just before she hit the ground, a tri-pronged kunai landed next to her, and in an instant, Momo found herself in the arms of her true love.

"Did I do a good job?" Momo asked Naruto with her remaining energy.

"You did great Momo. You won, and just like how I would have done it too." Naruto said smiling, very proud of his student. "Rest up now, you deserved it."

"I'm glad…" Momo said, smiling herself before passing out.

* * *

Author's Notes: The fallout between Tsunade and Sakura that was mentioned will be addressed in chapter 14. Other details may also be revealed in an upcoming chapter, or possibly an eventual prequel or series of prequels.

I hope no one was traumatized too badly by the Clown nightmare scene. The sequence is also dependent on the technique using the victim's own thoughts and fears against them, whereas canon seems to suggest Kakashi directly controlled what Sakura saw when he used it on her. I think this version is more interesting, and one of the few times I break from the established rules of canon.


	13. The Next Piece, Friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 13: The Next Piece; Friendship

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

"That was how your mother won the chunin exams, and was promoted in recognition of her hard work." Naruto said to Hayao and Himeko.

_'It was good they were held here that year too, otherwise Momo wouldn't have been eligible since she was still a rookie genin.' _Naruto added, thinking to himself.

"That was a good story. I didn't know mom was such a great fighter." Hayao said, with a newfound respect for his mother.

Naruto laughed, remembering just how good Momo was in a fight when she was serious.

"Yeah, your mom was always a tough one, and she never gave up either. When she puts her mind to something, she won't give up until she's succeeded." Naruto said with much respect for his wife's determination.

_'That's something I'll always be thankful for.' _He silently added.

"Your mother hung up her chunin vest that she earned that day when she and I were ready to have you guys, but that's a story for later. She still wears her goggles from time to time, for old time's sake, and always keeps her tonfa handy in case of trouble."

"We know that," Hayao said, "everyone knows to steer clear of mom when she has her tonfa out."

"How do you know that? Have you been getting into trouble?" Naruto questioned his possibly mischievous son.

"No…," Hayao quickly said, averting his eyes from his father's gaze, "I have no idea who replaced the magazines in the Uchiha clinic with comic books." He finished with a suspiciously specific denial.

Naruto narrowed his eyes for a moment, and then let out a sigh of relief.

_'I'm just glad he didn't replace them with any more… inappropriate literature.'_

"Daddy," Himeko squeaked out in her impossibly adorable voice, immediately getting Naruto's attention, "is the bonsai tree mommy gave you the one in your office?"

"Yes it is sweetie." Naruto said, nodding to his little girl. "It represents your mother and me, the strong orange tree protecting and guiding the younger peach tree. It took me years to figure that out, but the day I did was one of the best days of my life. I'll tell you about it later."

_'But I won't tell you everything that happened that day, heh heh…'_

Naruto's mind seemed to have wandered into his happy place at that moment, causing Hayao and Himeko to give him weird looks.

"Daddy must be thinking of mommy. Daddy's only that happy around mommy." Himeko said to her older brother, who nodded back.

Eventually Naruto remembered he was supposed to be watching his children, who were still watching him intently.

_'I'm glad they're too young to realize what I was thinking of. I am not looking forward to giving them the talk…' _Naruto thought to himself.

Hayao and Himeko still did not show any signs of losing interest in Naruto's story, or falling asleep. Glancing at the clock, Naruto noted it was still early, and Momo had not yet returned from her parent's house.

_'I hope she's okay, it's been a while. Still, the kids don't seem to be tired yet, and it's not too late, I guess I can continue.'_

Clearing his throat, Naruto resumed the story of telling his kids about how he met and fell in love with their mother.

"After the exams were over, and your mother was healed up, there was a party for her at your grandparent's house. Some old friends of mine and your grandparents were there too, along with their kids. It was at this party that your mother and I became closer…"

* * *

_Fourteen years ago, Hidden Leaf Village, Uchiha district…_

Outside of Sasuke and Sakura's house, a party was in full swing. The guest of honour was their eldest daughter, and they were celebrating her promotion to chunin. Said daughter however, would have preferred if they had not.

Momo was used to being the centre of attention back in the ninja academy when her fanboys would fight for her attention. She was also a very good student, and stood out a lot for that as well.

For the past seven months though, she spent most of her time with her team and family. Even during the last month, Momo quite happily spent all of her free time with Naruto. Thus she now felt rather uncomfortable with all the attention.

Momo would have been happy if it was just her family, team-mates, and Naruto. However, In addition to them, her parents had invited their old friends to congratulate Momo, and possibly show off how their daughter was already a chunin.

Since Sasuke and Sakura were married at a young age, they had the oldest children out of the surviving shinobi among their peers. Momo was now a chunin, while the eldest children of Sakura and Sasuke's peers were just starting the academy.

Momo had already received a nod of approval from her Aburame team-mate's parents, which was a big gesture for them. He received a promotion as well, for his advanced tactics against skilled adversaries.

They also had a brief discussion regarding their match and the strategies they planned out for it. Momo admitted she found out about her team-mates secret fetish from his older sister. Aburame revealed he prepared several flash and chemical tags to disrupt her sharingan, but Momo's new goggles changed them from a viable counter to a mild annoyance.

Momo's Inuzuka team-mate was not promoted however. While Momo and Aburame would be moving on to bigger and better opportunities, he would be reassigned to another genin team. He still came to the party with his parents along with their canine partners, congratulated his team-mates for their promotions, and helped himself to the refreshments.

Said refreshments were provided by Ichiraku and an Akimichi barbecue restaurant, which catered the event. The Uchiha kids all seemed to love the food from Ichiraku. Sakura found that odd, as she and Sasuke only brought them to the restaurant once each when they were old enough to eat solid foods. Sakura and Sasuke did this so their children could learn about Naruto, and keep his memory alive in case someday he was not.

While the rest of the guests enjoyed the catering and impromptu entertainment, this time of Rock Lee re-enacting his fight against Gaara during their fateful chunin exams, Momo sat off by herself, down in front of a tree, a ways from the crowd.

_'I liked how Mr. Naruto did it better.' _Momo thought of Lee's performance, having seen Naruto re-enact it already during a break in their training.

Now that her training period with Naruto was over, Momo no longer referred to him as Naruto-sensei. She switched to a formal address, as she was not as presumptuous as some people to address Naruto in a familiar manner without getting closer to him.

Momo was not the only one not paying attention to Lee's performance. Naruto noticed Momo was on her own, even though the party was supposed to be for her. Remembering his resolution to learn more about her, and become her friend, Naruto walked over to Momo and sat down next to her. Momo felt her heart skip a beat, but focused on remaining calm.

"Why are you sitting all by yourself?" Naruto asked, getting straight to the point.

Momo sighed, and started playing with the pockets of her chunin vest. Although her party could be considered a formal event, Momo was dressed in her shinobi outfit, as a reminder of her new rank.

"I'm just not comfortable with how everyone is putting me in the spotlight." Momo admitted, unable to lie to her future husband. "They're treating my promotion like it was some big achievement, as if they expect great things of me."

"You're afraid of letting them down, aren't you?" Naruto asked Momo.

She merely nodded her head in response, and continued to play with her pockets. Sensing it was a problematic topic for her, Naruto, who was sitting on Momo's right, moved closer to her and put his left arm around her. Feeling his arm around her, Momo turned her head to face Naruto, while trying to hide the feelings of shock and comfort his embrace gave her.

"Why don't you tell me why you feel that way? It might make you feel better." Naruto said to the momentarily stunned Momo.

Although Momo had grown accustomed to Naruto's presence, in times like this when they shared physical contact, Momo's shy side took temporary control. Enjoying the feeling of Naruto's strong arm around her for just a moment longer, Momo let her gentle side take control, and poured her little heart out.

"My parents have always been supportive of me, and they've helped me with my training before, but I think it's because they expect me to follow in their footsteps. I think mother wants me to become a medic like her, and work alongside her at the clinic. I'm almost positive father expects me to join him in the military police. I don't want to let them down, but…"

Momo trailed off at that point, and Naruto felt they were getting closer to the source of Momo's problems.

"You want to follow your own dreams, right? But you don't want to disappoint your parents either." Naruto asked, finishing Momo's confession for her.

Nodding, Momo began to subconsciously snuggle herself deeper into Naruto's side. Still unaware of her feelings for him, and seeing her only as someone he wanted as a friend, Naruto continued consoling her.

"You don't have anything to worry about. Your parents love you very much, and would be happy no matter what path you take in life. As long as you are happy, that's all that matters."

Cuddling as close as she could to him, Momo was utterly content. Between his comforting embrace, and his words, Momo could not have been happier.

"Do you feel better now?" Naruto asked Momo, who was currently doing a very good job of being his teddy bear.

"Yes, thank you Mr. Naruto." Momo replied, giving him a cheerful smile.

"You don't have to call me Mr. Naruto, we're friends now. Just Naruto is fine." Naruto said with his own smile.

_'Friends?' _Momo thought with a blush. _'It's not what I really want, but it's a good start, and he's letting me be so familiar with him…'_

The thought of being a step closer to her dream completely broke Momo out of her sad mood, making her wish she had her sharingan active, insuring she would never forget the moment. After a moment, when Momo was confident the memory would not fade anytime soon, she reluctantly pulled herself away from Naruto.

"Thank you, Naruto." Momo said, trying to accustom herself to the new form of address.

Now that she was standing next to Naruto, who was still sitting down. A little over five feet tall, Momo was the average height for a girl her age. This gave her almost two feet over Naruto at the moment, who was watching Lee's fight re-enactments, now of the time he and Gaara fought Kimimaro.

Looking down at Naruto, Momo could not do anything but admire him.

_'Kiss him! Kiss him on the cheek!' _A voice strangely similar to Momo's seemed to chant in her head.

Feeling compelled to go along with the suggestion, Momo stepped forward, leaning down slightly to give Naruto a thank-you kiss. So focused was she on doing so that Momo did not notice one of the tree's roots by her foot, and she tripped over it, sending her crashing into Naruto, who turned his head to look at her at the last second when she yelped.

For a second, Momo wondered why she was not in any pain, but rather felt quite nice. She felt her arms folded up and pressed between her and Naruto. Opening her dark eyes, she found herself looking right into Naruto bright blue eyes. It was at that point she realized they were kissing.

Reluctantly pulling herself away from Naruto for a second time, Momo was now blushing furiously, her face as pink as her hair. Naruto was lost in a daze, so Momo tried to figure out what happened.

_'I guess I must have tripped, and fell into Naruto, lips first…'_

Their embarrassment induced paralysis was soon broken when Sakura, who apparently had not noticed their condition, called out to them.

"Momo, Naruto, what are you two doing over here by yourselves?"

"Nothing." Both immediately replied, while avoiding making eye contact with each other.

_'Hmm…' _Sakura thought, shifting her gaze between Naruto and Momo, _'something happened between them, and I bet it was embarrassing, and that's why they don't want to talk about it. Well, Naruto's not the only one with a mischievous side.'_

"Naruto," Sakura growled out in her "you are royally screwed voice," which had made even Sasuke cower in fear on several occasions, "You better not have been taking advantage of my sweet, innocent little daughter, have you?"

"No!" Naruto immediately shouted out. "I would never do something like that!"

His statement was met with mixed feelings from Momo and Sakura.

_'I hope Naruto means he would never take advantage of me and not that he would never engage in anything consensual with me.' _Momo thought worryingly.

"Good," Sakura said with an evil grin, "Momo is still too young for anything like that. You'll have to wait until she's older before making a move."

What followed Sakura's shocking statement, even though it could have been worse, was a sputtering of denials from Naruto that Momo did not hear, as she was once again lost in her fantasy world.

Being trained as a medical ninja, and a girl who had started puberty meant Momo had ample sexual education. Although little of it actually focused on sex, Momo's intelligence and vivid imagination was enough to fill in the details. Thus, at her mother's mention of Naruto making a move on her, and Sakura's possible approval for when she was of age, Momo began to fantasize.

_'Oh no, not the whipped cream!'_

Sadly, sexual education is still rather flawed, and no replacement for hands-on experience.

As for Sakura, now that she was satisfied with embarrassing Naruto, she took Momo's hand, and led her daughter, still oblivious to the world around her, back to the party, leaving a still sputtering Naruto behind. As she walked along, she contemplated the effect her joke had on him.

_'Naruto is still the same as he was years ago. I know he would never take advantage of Momo, but he's fun to tease. Besides, it's not like anything would happen between them.'_

Briefly, Sakura stood still before resuming her pace.

_'What if something did happen? Would that be so bad?' _Sakura wondered. _'Naruto did show interest in taking care of me and Sasuke, and if he married Momo they'd be right next door to us…'_

Sakura paused once more to shake her head and clear her thoughts.

_'That's crazy. He's nineteen years older than her! Plus, she's my little girl and he's my former team-mate that had a huge crush on me!'_

Letting go of Momo, who continued to walk ahead, Sakura glanced back at Naruto. He was still sitting at the base of the tree, and appeared pensive.

_'Although, since he was in that coma, from another perspective, he's more like eight years older then her. He even looks like he's still a teenager, and acts like it sometimes too. Not to mention, he'll live much longer then I will…'_

Sakura's thoughts trailed off as she felt her heart begin to clench at the thought of Naruto's lifespan.

_'It must be so hard for him, knowing he'll outlive everyone he grew up with. If he got together with someone his own age, he'd outlive them by a few decades. Most of the women our age have moved on too…'_

Sakura felt her legs begin to wobble, and took a seat at a nearby picnic table that had been put out for the party. Never averting her gaze from Naruto, she continued her thoughts.

_'I feel so bad for how I treated him when we were kids. If I had noticed him first, things may have been different. If I had though, I wouldn't have had Momo and my other wonderful children, and I wouldn't have known the feeling of being with the man I've always loved. Wait…'_

Shifting her gaze from Naruto back to Momo, who had been roped by Lee into doing a re-enactment of her recent matches, Sakura felt the puzzle pieces falling into place. Suddenly, Momo's strange behaviour around Naruto made perfect sense.

_'She loves him! My little girl loves Naruto, or at least likes him. Why didn't I see it sooner? I fell for Sasuke at first sight of him, and my mom always said that when she met dad it was love at first sight.'_

Momo and Lee were currently re-enacting her first match, and Momo was using the move she learned from Naruto on Lee. It was possibly ironic, considering Naruto based the move on one Sasuke copied from Lee.

_'She's learned so much from him in the short time they've been together, he's obviously been a good influence on her. They have much in common, and Naruto had a huge crush on me, despite how I treated him. If Momo continues her present rate of progress, with her career and her relationship with Naruto, he just may fall for her too.'_

Momo and her Aburame team-mate were now having a rematch. Naruto had come over, and was cheering her on. Everyone was impressed with her skills, and how Naruto was the one who trained her for the finals. From Sakura's position, she could see Naruto and Momo, and kept her gaze on both as she thought of them with a sad smile on her face.

_'Naruto, I've hurt you so much, and done so little to make up for it. Momo, if you truly love Naruto, and will have no other as I would if I couldn't have Sasuke, I'll support you, no matter what decisions you make. Naruto, I can't make you happy anymore, but Momo can be everything for you that I couldn't be.'_

Momo and Aburame's rematch was now over, ending in her favour. Even though Naruto was not the person standing closest to her, and that Sasuke was standing closer, Momo ran to Naruto first. It was a clear indicator of who she wanted to be closest to. Sasuke seemed surprised, but Sakura, now knowing Momo's feelings took it in stride.

_'Momo, I don't blame you for running to Naruto instead of your father. In my eyes, your father is the world to me. Even in a crowded room, he's the only person I see, and I now see you feel the same way about Naruto.'_

Sakura's sad smile slowly turned to a happier one as she thought of Sasuke. Knowing Momo felt as strongly about Naruto as she did about Sasuke still gave her mixed feelings, as she was not used to the idea yet.

As for Naruto and Momo, the awkwardness from their accidental kiss had disappeared in the excitement of the battle. Naruto and Momo were talking animatedly about the match, and seemed to be unaware of anyone else. Many eyes were on the two of them, including Sakura's.

_'Naruto, I'll support my little girl's feelings, but only because I know she'll make you happy and won't be happy if she can't be with you. However, if you hurt her and make her unhappy, or make a move before she's ready, you'll live to regret it. That's my promise of a lifetime.'_

Naruto suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine, and felt as if his life was in danger. Momo was now re-enacting her third match with Lee, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone, away from the crowd.

"Relax," Sasuke spoke up, "I get that feeling all the time."

"What was that?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"I have no idea." Sasuke replied with a shrug. "I've learned to live with it."

"You've learned to live with feeling like someone's out to get you?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Yes," Sasuke said, "I did spend nearly three years with Orochimaru, not to mention all those years of avoiding my fangirls."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry." Naruto said sheepishly.

"You want to know something?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto gave him a curious look. "Sakura is even scarier then Orochimaru. She's always wanted me, and in ways Orochimaru never did, or at least I hope he never did."

Naruto and Sasuke looked back towards Sakura, who had moved from the picnic table and was now cheering on Momo.

"You know what, I'm glad she picked you instead of me." Naruto said, trying not to imagine how Sakura could be more terrifying than Orochimaru.

"Me too." Sasuke said, giving a rare smile. "I thought I lost out on having a family with anyone here after I left, but Sakura stayed faithful to me."

"Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded." Naruto observed.

"I suppose so." Sasuke said. "I don't deserve her after all I've done, but…"

"Sasuke…" Naruto said, realizing Sasuke was confessing something important.

"I'm grateful for everything she's done for me, and I'll do what I can to make up for all my sins. I've spent the past fifteen years making up for how I treated Sakura, but I haven't done anything to make up for the pain I caused you. Naruto, I'm-"

"Don't worry about it." Naruto interrupted, having a feeling he knew where the conversation was headed. "I got over her a long time ago. Besides, she's happy with you, that's all that matters to me."

"Thank you." Sasuke said, feeling his heavy burden of guilt lighten a bit.

"You're welcome." Naruto said, glad he and Sasuke were still friends.

They stood in a slightly awkward silence for a bit as they watched Momo and Lee, who had moved onto a light sparring match.

"Do you think I'll ever find someone?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Chanced are, someone's already got their eyes on you." Sasuke replied, unaware his eldest daughter was that someone.

"You may be right. Still, I'm going to be Hokage soon. I don't have time to be dating. I guess whoever's interested in me will have to be okay with waiting until I'm ready."

"Hn." Sasuke agreed, no longer in the mood to talk.

Naruto sighed, and went back to watching Momo's match with Lee. Seeing his former team-mates daughter fight just like he would was a sight he enjoyed, for a reason he had not yet understood.

"Sneak attack!" Momo yelled out as she snuck up on Lee, actually surprising him, which allowed her to catch him off guard.

Everyone got a good laugh from that, especially Naruto.

_'I think Momo and I will get along just fine. This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship.' _Naruto thought, looking forward to where their new bond would take them.

* * *

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

"That was how we moved from teacher and student, and became friends."

Naruto had just finished telling the first arc of his story to Hayao and Himeko, who had mixed feelings about it.

"That was so sweet!" Himeko said cutely with her childish voice.

"I thought it was a bit sappy." Hayao said, adding his two cents.

Naruto laughed at his children, and their opposing reactions to his story.

'Being a father is great, I can see why Momo wanted to have a family of her own for so long. I'm just glad I'm the man she chose to have it with.'

While Hayao and Himeko argued about what the best part of the story was, Naruto wondered what part of his and Momo's story to tell next.

* * *

Author's Notes: So now Naruto and Momo have moved on from being teacher and student to being friends. It'll be a few more years in this story before they become anything more than that. In a couple more chapters there might be more than an accidental kiss, and I hope no one was turned off by that. I'm not sure what kind of reaction it will get.

If I was using honourifics, Momo would have moved on from using Naruto-sensei and Naruto-san, or possibly even Naruto-sama, and use Naruto-kun instead. Like I said, she's not as presumptuous as some people from canon to use a familiar address with someone when they are not very close to said person. Naruto would still call her Momo-chan, but she doesn't mind it at all.

I'm surprised no one's asked if Momo has an inner, or is she's tsundere like Sakura. I'd like to think that instead of an inner personality that shows what she's really thinking like Sakura, Momo is prone to personality shifts. Like how she can be a blushing cutie around Naruto one moment, then an energetic girl the next. Or how she acts tough around her fanboys and strangers to get them to keep their distance, while she's sweet and kind with the ones she loves.

When Inner Momo manifests, it would most likely be as a result of her suppressed sexual urges, and be closer to a split personality, containing her perverted side, leaving Momo a mostly innocent girl who can't recognize a double entendre.

As for being tsundere, I'd say she is. Whether she's type-A or type-B depends on who you ask. Momo's family would consider her type-B, while to everyone else, she's type-A. I don't know how successful I was with portraying her as such.


	14. Momo VS Tsunade

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 14: Momo VS Tsunade

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

"So what should I tell you kids about next?" Naruto wondered aloud, his hand cupping his chin in a thinking pose. "I know!" He said, snapping his fingers. "I'll tell you about the time your mother met your great-grandma Tsunade."

Hayao and Himeko were paying close attention now. Neither had met Tsunade, as she passed away shortly after Hayao's birth, so they were eager to learn about her.

"It was shortly after your mother's promotion. I was planning on seeing your great-grandma Tsunade again and telling her about the chunin exams, since she didn't go out much anymore. I brought your mother with me, since I figured she hadn't seen your great-grandma Tsunade in some time. Anyway, it happened like this…"

* * *

_Fourteen years ago, outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village…_

In the days after Momo's promotion, she spent her time being reassigned to a new squad and informed of her new duties. Momo would now be a part of a search and rescue team, offering aid to anyone injured in the field, or securing hostages captured in enemy territory.

As usual, Momo's skill with illusions and medicine made her invaluable to the survival of her team, as well as those they would be sent to rescue. Now that she had trained under Naruto, she was even better in combat situations. Even though she was still young, many recognized her potential and sought to have her assigned to their squadron.

Momo's new team once again consisted of an Aburame and an Inuzuka. Sasuke was pleased when he found out; as he hoped it would set a good example for the Uchiha clan, while forming bonds with the other clans. As for Momo's squad leader, she was a battle medic who was not part of a major clan. Momo's new commander would also be taking over her medical training, with an emphasis on battlefield conditions.

Since Sakura's skill with illusions and chakra control had been passed onto Momo, along with an interest in medicine, and possibly their other children, Sasuke hoped the Uchiha would now be seen as saviours and leaders on the battlefield, instead of feared as enemies. The reputation of the Uchiha clan was slowly changing for the better, and Sasuke credited it to the woman who never gave up fighting for him, and would risk losing everything for him.

As for establishing bonds with the other clans, Momo's skills were shown to have a clear synergy with the tracking skills of the Inuzuka and Aburame. They provided the support that was needed for a search and rescue team, which had grown in number over the years.

The Aburame and Inuzuka were common members of the military police as well, along with other clans. There were only a few Hyuuga who were part of it, as several were part of ANBU, the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, or special assassination and tactics squad.

Sasuke had high hopes that his descendants would continue to work with the other clans of the Hidden Leaf Village, and was glad his past actions had not burned as many bridges as he thought. If he had been more selfish in his goals, his actions might have held the Uchiha clan back for generations to come.

With the future relations of her clan with the others of the Hidden Leaf Village at stake, Momo was once again under pressure to perform well, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Momo was used to her parents having high expectations of her, and she did not want to let them down.

Just like how Sakura sought acknowledgement from Sasuke in her youth, and Sasuke from his father, Momo once sought it from her parents, and would do anything to make them proud. That left Momo conflicted; as she believed what her parents had in mind for her future was different from what she dreamed of. After Naruto's recent talk with her, Momo was confident her parents would support and be proud of her, no matter what she wanted to do with her life.

Now, Momo only sought Naruto's acknowledgement, which she had, and vowed that one day he would acknowledge her as a woman as well. For now, Momo was content that she and Naruto were just friends, as neither were ready to be in a relationship. Both were focused on their careers, and becoming strong shinobi.

Speaking of the future couple, they were on their way to meet someone who was very special to Naruto. She was a woman who was like a big sister, mother and grandmother to him all in one. She was Tsunade, last of the Senju clan, slug tamer, renowned medical ninja, one of the Legendary Three Ninja, and former Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. More than all that to Naruto, she was someone who acknowledged his dream of becoming Hokage, and supported it.

"Grandma Tsunade's cabin is just further up ahead, so it won't be much longer now until we're there." Naruto called out to Momo as they walked the rarely taken path to Tsunade's home.

The object of her affections calling out to her pulled Momo out of her thoughts. She then began to prepare herself for meeting a legend.

_'It's okay, I'm just meeting the Fifth Hokage, who also happens to be the woman who taught my mother everything she knows about medicine. Besides, I have Naruto here with me, I'll be fine.' _Momo assured herself. _'Maybe I can find out why I had never been introduced to her before and why she and mother stopped talking to each other…'_

Soon enough, the pair had made it to the front door of Tsunade's modest cabin. Momo was expecting Naruto to knock on the door, but instead he put on a mischievous smile.

"You know," Naruto said to Momo, "I've been trying to sneak in here for months now. Grandma Tsunade is just as sharp as ever though, so she's caught me every time. I would have tried it now, but I guess with you here I just forgot."

"It's okay, we can try next time." Momo replied, hoping she was not ruining Naruto's fun with her presence.

"Nah," Naruto said, waving off Momo's worry, "let's give it a shot. We have nothing to lose anyway."

Seeing no reason to argue with him, Momo went along with Naruto's idea, showing he could manipulate her just as well as she could him. Just as Naruto was about to carefully open the door, a voice called out to them.

"I know you're out there, come in already." The mysterious voice called out.

"I forgot that she's always on the lookout for trespassers." Naruto said sheepishly to Momo. "Don't worry about grandma Tsunade though, I can deal with her. We'll just have to sneak in another time. I've wanted to get the drop on her for a long time."

Since they were invited in, or rather caught trying to sneak in, Naruto opened the cabin door and entered Tsunade's home with Momo following after him. The cabin itself was fairly plain, as Tsunade no longer had much need for material possessions in her old age. Naruto took off his shinobi sandals at the door while Momo took off her boots, and they replaced them with slippers that had been left out for guests.

"We could clearly hear grandma Tsunade from outside, so she must be on the second floor balcony. It would have a good view of the front yard, which would explain how she saw us coming." Naruto explained to Momo as they made their way through Tsunade's home.

"So the reason we didn't just leap straight onto the balcony was because we're being polite by going through the house first, right?" Momo asked Naruto.

Momo had been raised by her parents to be a proper young lady. Thus, she was on her best behaviour. Naruto however, would have had better manners if he had been raised by wolves. Therefore, his response was to be expected.

"I suppose," Naruto said, shrugging as they approached the door to the balcony, "that, and if we just appeared out of nowhere we might end up giving grandma Tsunade a heart attack. Hey grandma, long time no see!" He finished, throwing the door open and revealing Tsunade at last.

While Momo knew many things about Tsunade, and had high expectations of her, Momo was unsure of what to think upon finally meeting her.

_'This is mother's former master and Naruto's grandmother, the woman who was the fifth Hokage?' _Momo thought of Tsunade.

Sitting at a small table, just large enough for a four people to drink tea at, was Tsunade. She was covered from head to toe in an earth-toned cloak. Even her face seem to be hidden under the hood, possibly by an illusion.

"It's nice to see you again too Naruto." Tsunade said in a kind tone, showing she didn't mind his behaviour at all. "Who is your young friend? She looks rather familiar…"

"Huh?" Naruto said, his confusion clear. "Don't you remember her? This is Momo, Sakura and Sasuke's daughter."

All was quiet for almost a full minute. If Naruto had been in sage mode, he would have been able to detect the sharp intakes of breath and rapid heartbeats of his companions.

"It's nice to finally meet you ma'am." Momo said while doing a curtsey and a polite tone.

"What, you mean this is the first time you two have met?" Naruto asked, his bewilderment plain to see.

"Yes it is." Tsunade said plainly. "Well Momo, it's nice to meet you too."

"Thank you ma'am." Momo replied, maintaining her polite and formal tone.

"I suppose now would be a good time to get to know one another. Naruto," Tsunade said, getting his attention, "I ran out of my favourite brand of tea. Can you be a dear and go to the store for some more for me?" Tsunade asked him with a tone that said if he did not, there would be dire consequences.

"Of course I will," Naruto said nervously, "I'll be right back!"

In a flash, Naruto had run back into the house. Moments later, he could be seen running off into the distance and into the village prior.

"Now dear," Tsunade said, addressing Momo, "why don't you and I have a little chat?"

* * *

Using his impressive speed techniques, Naruto acquired the tea Tsunade asked him for in record time.

_'It's a good thing I bought some more of this the last time I was in Tea Country. Why does grandma have to like such a rare tea anyway? Oh well, I remembered it now, so at least I won't have to spend all day searching the market for a deal on it.' _Naruto thought as he made his way back to Tsunade's cabin.

As he approached the modest cabin, Naruto instinctively went into sneak mode and silently crept closer to it.

_'Say, now that Momo's got grandma distracted, I may finally be able to sneak up on her! Oh, this will be good!'_

Putting all of his skills to use, Naruto made his way up to Tsunade's cabin, entered the door, changed his sandals for the slippers provided, and silently walked to the balcony door. Just as he was about to open it, and claim his first ambush on Tsunade on her own property, he was stopped by what he heard from the other side of the door.

"So why did you and mother stop speaking to each other?"

The voice clearly belonged to Momo, and brought out a number of feelings in Naruto.

_'What, grandma Tsunade and Sakura stopped speaking to each other? Wait, that could explain why she and Momo have never met.'_

His curiosity piqued, Naruto continued to eavesdrop on Momo and Tsunade's private conversation, his years of stealth training put to their best effort yet. Stretching out his senses, Naruto noted there seemed to be a pause in Tsunade and Momo's conversation, and Tsunade appeared to be sighing.

"I suppose it's time I got this off my chest." Tsunade began, causing conflicted images to appear in Naruto's mind. "To put it simply, I never liked how your mother chose to be with your father over Naruto."

For a moment, all was silent, except for the heartbeats of those present. Through his advanced senses, Naruto could tell Tsunade and Momo's were normal, but his was rapid from the danger of being caught in his position, and Tsunade's confession.

"I had always hoped your mother and Naruto would get together. I thought they were just like me and Jiraiya were like at their age. That should have tipped me off that it would never work out for them."

Normally, being compared to Jiraiya in a non-perverted manner would be considered a compliment to Naruto, but now it only served as a reminder that like his master, neither was able to be with the women they sought for so long.

"Naruto always did everything he could to support your mother and be there for her, while Sasuke did nothing but spurn her affections. Even worse, when given the opportunity to gain power from my traitorous team-mate, whose actions led to the death of our sensei, he took it without a second thought. I said I saw myself and Jiraiya in your mother and Naruto. Well, as it turned out, your father was a lot like Orochimaru."

Naruto braced himself, expecting Momo to vehemently defend her father against what was obviously a heinous insult, but instead she kept quiet. Tsunade's voice was soon heard again.

"He's not so bad now, but he's had fifteen years to make up for his betrayal. He lost a lot of respect among his peers due to his actions. That respect he once had that came with his heritage he had all but lost, and had to earn it back. I suppose it worked out fine that way, as like Naruto, your father had to start from nothing and earn everyone's respect on his own."

If Naruto was not trying to conceal his presence, he would have let out a sigh of relief.

_'Hopefully Momo will be okay now. I know she doesn't like it when people insult her or her family, but even I'm not sure if she would pick a fight with grandma Tsunade to defend her family's honour.' _Naruto thought to himself, thankful Momo was not as impetuous as he was.

There was another pause in the one-sided conversation, and Naruto could hear Tsunade sigh once more before speaking again.

"I always thought that one day your mother would recognize all that Naruto has done for her, and that your father did nothing. So, when your father was finally brought back to the village, by Naruto no less, who promised Sakura he would do just that even if it took him a lifetime, how do you think Sakura thanked him for that and everything else he did for her?"

Momo would not know the answer to that, but Naruto did. His reward for his years of devotion to Sakura was heartbreak. While visiting Sasuke in the hospital where he was being treated for the wounds he sustained in his battle with Itachi, Naruto found him being treated by none other then Sakura. Upon seeing the girl who was once one of his most ardent admirers become a talented young woman, Sasuke, having completed the first part of his ambition, asked Sakura to be the one to help him restore his clan, thereby completing his ambition in full. Sakura, having finally obtained the recognition from the one she always wanted it from, gladly accepted Sasuke's offer. Both had now obtained what they desired for so long, while Naruto was left with the broken pieces of his heart, which took years to put back together.

"I lost all the respect I had for your mother that day. From then on I only spoke to your mother when it was required due to my position as the Hokage. When I finally retired, I spent all my time working on bringing Naruto out of his coma. Need I add, if your mother was waiting at home for him instead of no one, he might not have been in one?"

The statement like question was yet another Momo could not answer, and even Naruto himself was still unsure if he would have risked his life to save the world if he had been the one to marry Sakura instead of Sasuke.

"I spent two and a half years turning her from a weak fan-girl into a powerful battle medic, and one who could someday surpass even me if she put her mind to it. Sadly, there was always only one thing on her mind. I thought I was training my successor as the premiere medic in the Hidden Leaf Village, but I guess I was just wasting my time training the future matriarch of the Uchiha clan. At least she opened her own clinic, so not all my time with her went to waste."

As he listened to Tsunade's confession, Naruto grew more and more uneasy at a steady pace, both from what he was hearing, and what he was not.

_'How is Momo taking this so well? Grandma is pretty much insulting her parents to her face, and she hasn't said a word yet. I hope neither do anything drastic…'_

Unfortunately for Naruto, Lady Luck, after a lengthy discussion with Fate, decided that she would not be on his side today.

"Well, you asked me why your mother and I stopped speaking, and I told you. If there's nothing else, I believe we're done here." Tsunade said coldly.

Tsunade then turned her back to Momo, who having been taught to exploit any opening given to her, finally snapped and charged at Tsunade. It was only Naruto bursting through the door and holding back Momo by the collar of her vest that kept her in place.

"It doesn't matter if you're an old woman, anyone who insults my parents I'm going to clobber with all my might!" Momo shouted while trying to break free of Naruto's grip.

For a brief moment, Tsunade remembered Naruto saying something very similar once, years ago. Feeling nostalgic, and something else she had not felt in many years, Tsunade turned back around to address Momo.

"You want to put your money where your mouth is brat?" Tsunade asked Momo.

Despite her anger, Momo was able to recognize that Tsunade was making a wager, and calmed down a bit.

"The first time I met Naruto, he challenged me too. I beat him using just one finger. I can see by your vest that you're skilled, but I doubt you could have beat Naruto or your father when they were your age. Although, I'm curious to see how good you really are. So, if you want to take a shot at me, I'll give you that chance." Tsunade said.

Naruto had finally pulled Momo back and was holding her in place, and she seemed to have calmed down considerably. Whether it was from what Tsunade was saying or realizing that Naruto was holding her was unknown.

"If you can get me to use more than a finger in a spar against you, I'll take back what I said about your parents. If not, you have to walk around all day wearing the Senju clan symbol." Tsunade challenged, playing on their clan's rivalry.

If Momo had inherited anything from her parents, or her time with Naruto, it was pride, stubbornness, and a sense of confidence that bordered on arrogance. Her answer was clear.

"You're on!"

* * *

The three of them had moved to a nearby training ground for Tsunade and Momo's fight, as she did not want to cause any collateral damage around her home. In a show of her seriousness, Tsunade even reactivated her illusion of youth to restore herself to peak physical condition, though she could no longer maintain it constantly.

"I may not look like it, but I am one of the Legendary Three Ninja and a former Hokage. Why should I even take a chunin seriously." Tsunade said, repeating a line she had said in similar situation many years ago.

"What did you say?" Momo asked angrily.

Tsunade's response was to hold up her right index finger.

"Like I said before, with one finger, this is enough to take you down." She said, referring to the basis of their wager, or possibly her first fight with Naruto.

Momo was shaking in anger, and Naruto was worriedly observing from the sidelines.

"Well, come on brat." Tsunade said, taunting Momo into attacking.

"Don't underestimate me!" Momo said as she charged at Tsunade.

Her sharingan blazing, Momo pulled out her tonfa and attacked Tsunade head on. Tsunade just smirked, and when Momo made a strike with her tonfa, Tsunade created a chakra scalpel that emanated from her right index finger. With one smooth motion, she easily evaded Momo's strikes, and made a slight cut on each of Momo wrists that while not doing any serious damage, were enough to make Momo let go of her tonfa. Even worse, Momo was not fast enough to evade, and her sharingan, still active, was ensuring she would never forget what just happened.

"Ah!" Momo cried out in pain.

She did not have any time to do much else, as Tsunade was quick to move again. Holding her finger to Momo's forehead, she could have used her chakra scalpel to inflict a serious wound, she settled for cancelling the scalpel and giving Momo a flick to the forehead. Tsunade was known for her super strength though, and the flick was enough to launch Momo back several metres.

"I can see how the goggles would be useful for protecting your eyes," Tsunade said in a possible approval of them, "but there's a reason they call it a forehead protector." Tsunade finished, referring to the item now worn around Momo's neck.

_'That hurt.' _Momo thought as she pulled herself up and deactivated her sharingan. _'That's a memory I won't cherish. No wonder father told me to be careful when I used the sharingan.'_

Knowing her sharingan would be of no use to her against an opponent with superior strength and speed, Momo changed tactics. Quickly healing herself as best as she could, Momo used the technique Naruto taught her.

"Earth clone technique." She said, creating three earth clones.

A raise of an eyebrow was the only reaction from Tsunade.

_'Kakashi taught Sasuke how to use the chidori in a month, while Naruto only managed to teach Momo the earth clone technique?' _Tsunade thought in a not too flattering appraisal of Momo's skill, or Naruto's teaching abilities.

The earth clones fought using the tactics Naruto taught Momo. One of them attempted to distract Tsunade while the others attacked her from the sides. Unfortunately, Tsunade's superior strength and speed won out again, and with one finger, she delivered a strike to each earth clone, destroying it.

Meanwhile, Momo was expecting as much, and prepared her clan's signature technique.

"Fire release: grand fireball technique." Momo called out as she formed the hand-seals for the technique.

The attack was targeted at Tsunade, who had just finished dealing with Momo's earth clones. Luckily for Tsunade, and unluckily for Momo, Tsunade's awareness had not decreased much in her advanced years, and she sensed the attack coming. Pushing her finger into the ground, Tsunade created a tremor that knocked Momo off her feet, and cancelling the fireball.

"Ah!" Momo cried out again as she once more fell to her feet.

_'This isn't working. I'm not strong enough to fight her.' _Momo thought while evaluating her chances. _'I don't have to defeat her to win, I just have to get her to use more than a finger to fight me. How can I do that?'_

Switching to stalling tactics, Momo tried using her illusions to conceal herself and buy time to think of a plan. Unfortunately, Tsunade was quite familiar with them, and they did not distract her for long. Momo was rapidly beginning to tire.

"Hey brat!" Tsunade called out to Momo, who was now on her last legs. "I'll ask you one thing before you pass out. Why are you so passionate about defending your parents' honour?"

Momo froze, not expecting to be asked something like that.

_'Should I tell her?' _She wondered. _'I trust Naruto, and he trusts her, so maybe I can tell them. I've wanted to tell Naruto before, but it never felt right.'_

"I want them to acknowledge me." Momo said, which was something neither Tsunade nor Naruto expected her to. "Outside of some training, or dinner if neither are working late, I've hardly ever seen my parents."

From his interaction with Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto was beginning to understand what Momo meant.

'_Momo's mother and father each put a lot of effort into their shinobi training. Her mother used hers to open a medical clinic, and her father reformed the military police. That took a lot of effort on their parts, so it they don't have a lot of time to spend with their children. They hired a staff to watch them, and spend as much time as they can with them, but it doesn't seem like it's enough. When I become Hokage and have a family, I'll find a way to make as much time for both as I can.' _Naruto thought as he formed a new resolve.

"Father always seemed concerned with his reputation, and that of our clan, and mother was always working at her clinic, saving lives and helping people in the Uchiha name. I just want them to be as proud of me being their daughter as I am of them being my parents." Momo said, her voice beginning to crack.

Before Momo could break down further, Naruto was by her side and holding her close in an instant. Momo happily snuggled into him, her worries already forgotten.

_'So she acts defensives of her parents honour to earn their respect?' _Tsunade wondered.

As she pondered Momo's words, she continued to observe her and Naruto.

_'They remind me of how Naruto used to try and comfort Sakura, though they were never that close.' _Tsunade thought as she watched Naruto and Momo. _'In fact, I've only seen Sakura give the look Momo's giving Naruto to Sasuke…'_

Momo was now looking upon Naruto with admiration, thanks, and unbeknownst to him, love while he said some comforting words to her.

"Momo, I told you before, your parents are proud of you." Naruto reminded her as he calmed her down. "Even if they don't say it often enough, I know they do. I'm proud of you too."

Momo did not reply, but continued to happily snuggle into him, the doubts she had been filled with for years slipping away.

"There's a good lesson to be learned here." Naruto said sagely, something he did not do often despite being an actual sage, "it's okay to want to defend your family's honour, but pride comes before a fall. Having a bit of humility can make you a better person. The next time someone you should not be picking a fight with slanders your family, it might be better to let it go."

Momo nodded in understanding, taking in Naruto's words as if she would live her life according to them. As she did, Tsunade kept observing them and the look Momo was giving Naruto.

_'Could Momo, no she's too young for that. Although, she is the same age Naruto and Sakura were when I met them, and Sakura had known Sasuke for years before that. Does that mean Momo feels the same way about Naruto that Sakura does about Sasuke?' _Tsunade continued to wonder to herself while she considered if she had made a terrible mistake.

"If you two are done showing public displays of affection, I'd like to continue the fight." Tsunade called out to Naruto and Momo.

As expected, an embarrassed Naruto pulled away from a blushing Momo, who seemed sad that he did so.

_'So she does like him.' _Tsunade mentally confirmed. _'Now to find out how much.'_

Now that Naruto was back on the sidelines and Momo was feeling better, Tsunade was putting the pressure back on her. She was holding back though, as she now had something else she wanted to learn from her opponent.

"How would you like to sweeten the wager?" Tsunade said as forced Momo to dodge a finger strike. "If you win, I'll take you on as what will likely be my last apprentice. If you lose, you can never see Naruto again."

Her last sentence was said quietly so Naruto would not be able to hear it, but Momo would. Her immediate reaction only confirmed was Tsunade was beginning to suspect.

"Never, I would never risk that!" Momo declared as she gained her second wind, and began fighting back.

Tsunade had an easy time blocking Momo's punches and kicks, even with one finger, and was not focusing on their fight, but rather what she had learned.

_'She really does care about him if she wouldn't risk their relationship for a chance to become my apprentice. Does that mean Sakura cares about Sasuke just as much? What if she couldn't be with Sasuke, what then?'_

"Alright Momo, tell me, what would you do if you were never able to see Naruto again?" Tsunade asked her, again quietly so Naruto would not be able to hear.

"I, I don't know what I'd do." Momo replied shakily, caught off guard by the question.

_'I've seen that look before.' _Tsunade thought as she took in Momo's expression, even with her eyes were partially hidden by her orange tinted goggles. _'Sakura looked the same when Sasuke left. It was when he was brought back that she looked happier then I had ever seen her.'_

"Is this the best you can do? If so, I'm going to tell Naruto not to waste anymore time with you." Tsunade said, goading Momo into attacking again and forgetting her worries.

It was a dirty tactic, but for a shinobi it was a common move. Momo, her relationship with Naruto on the line, began putting everything she had left into the fight.

_'I guess that proves it. There's no need to continue.' _Tsunade thought, deciding to end the fight.

Holding out two fingers, she delivered a strike to Momo's abdomen that knocked the wind out of her. Despite the painful hit, Momo was smiling.

"Hah, I win the bet," she said weakly, "I got you to use more then one finger in the fight. Now you have to take back what you said about my parents." She finished before collapsing into unconsciousness.

Naruto was by Momo's side in an instant, and after Tsunade dropped her illusion of youth to conserve her chakra, she was by Momo's side as well.

"She'll be fine, she's just a little tired and beat up." Tsunade said to Naruto as she healed Momo's wounds. "Let's get her inside and give her a chance to rest."

In what was becoming a habit for them, Naruto scooped up Momo into his arms and carried her bridal style into Tsunade's cabin. Momo was once again completely unaware of him doing so.

"You know, she's a lot like you were at her age." Tsunade commented to Naruto as she put her cloak back on. "While she's resting, why don't you tell me about her?" She asked him.

"Sure, I learned a lot about her while preparing to train her for the finals of the chunin exams." Naruto replied as he began to tell Tsunade all about his youngest friend.

_'I should have known all of this before.' _Tsunade thought sadly to herself while Naruto told her about Momo. _'I wonder what else my stubbornness had made me miss out on…'_

The two of them brought Momo inside and Naruto put her down on a bed in a spare room before going back to the balcony to continue their conversation. Tsunade found she liked hearing about Momo, and decided she wanted to hear more from Momo's mother, and resolved to speak to her soon.

* * *

It was now later in the day, and Momo was beginning to rouse from her slumber.

"Good afternoon sleepyhead." Naruto said to an awakening Momo.

"Where am I?" She asked as her awareness returned to her.

"A spare bedroom in grandma's cabin. We put you to bed after your fight so you could rest."

Momo suddenly jerked up and began scanning the room. Seeing Naruto sitting at a nearby desk, she let out a sigh of relief.

_'Whew, he wasn't in the bed with me.' _Momo thought while trying not to think about why she had expected him to be. _'I'm still too young for that, but maybe in a few years…'_

Momo began to blush as she imagined what her relationship with Naruto could someday be like.

"Ah, Momo, are you okay?" Naruto asked her out of concern. "Your face is getting red. Maybe you should lie down again." He said, still as oblivious as ever to a girl's embarrassment over him. "I should talk to Hinata and find out how she got over this…"

If Momo was paying attention to Naruto, she showed no signs of it. She was lost in a fantasy that a voice in the back of her head was describing to her.

* * *

Once Momo was feeling better, she returned home with Naruto escorting her along the way. He went out back to see Sasuke, while Momo and Sakura stayed inside.

"So dear, did you have a nice day?" Sakura asked her eldest daughter.

"Yes mother." Momo replied. "Naruto introduced me to his grandmother." She elaborated.

"He did?" Sakura asked with a bit of worry.

"He did." A reply came from a third voice.

Turning to the source of voice, Momo and Sakura were shocked by who it came from.

"Master Tsunade?" Sakura stated, surprised to see her former mentor for the first time in years.

"Yes it's me." Tsunade calmly replied. "Don't look so surprised. I'm a retired Hokage, sneaking into someone's home undetected is easy for me."

"Um yes, of course." Sakura replied, still unsure of what to say. "Is there anything I can get for you?" She eventually asked, trying to act kind to her uninvited guest.

"Some tea would be nice. While I'm here though, it's been some time since we've spoken. I'd like to hear about what you've been up to all these years."

"Certainly, I'll get right on it." Sakura replied happily, as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

While Sakura made their tea and began telling Tsunade about her life since their falling out, Momo stayed quiet, smiling over how her family seemed a little bigger, and happier now.

"I never thought I'd see this happen." Naruto said quietly to Momo, startling her with his presence.

Seeing her look up at him, Naruto made a shushing motion.

"I'm just a shadow clone. I knew grandma Tsunade was following us, so I was made to stay behind and watch for trouble. I had no idea how well this would play out. It looks okay though." Naruto's shadow clone continued as he and Momo observed Sakura and Tsunade's first conversation in years.

The two of them stayed quiet and watched from the background as Sakura and Tsunade continued their reconciliation.

"Even though I forgave your mother for choosing to be with your father over me, grandma Tsunade never did." Naruto's shadow clone said, breaking their silence. "No matter what I did, I couldn't get her to forgive your mother. I don't what you did, but you made her change her mind. I guess I owe you one, so if there's anything you want from me, just name it."

_'Anything?' _Momo thought excitedly. _'There's one thing I really want, but I don't think I'm ready for it.' _Momo thought again, a little sadder this time. _'I know, there's something he can answer for me.'_

"How were you ever able to forgive my parents for hurting you?" Momo asked.

Naruto's shadow clone gave a sigh before answering.

"It wasn't easy. It hurt for a long time, but seeing your mother happy means a lot to me. Being with your father made her happy, so I supported her decision, even if at the time I thought it was a wrong one and they were making a huge mistake. It worked out though. They're good for each other, and seeing them together makes me think that they were meant for each other, and that your mother wasn't completely right for me either. Besides…" Naruto said, trailing off at the end.

Naruto's shadow clone chose that moment to give Momo, who was awaiting him to finish, a big grin.

"If your parents didn't get together, I never would have met you." Naruto's shadow clone said with complete sincerity.

Momo did not even waste a millisecond before giving Naruto's shadow clone a bone crushing hug that dispelled it, much to her dismay. Outside, the real Naruto, who was sparring with Sasuke, received that shadow clone's memories. Seeing Sakura and Tsunade speaking to each other again brought a smile to his face, distracting him just long enough for Sasuke to hit him at point blank range with a fireball.

* * *

_Present Day, Uzumaki household…_

"Well, that's the story of how your mother met your great-grandma Tsunade, and helped her reconcile with your grandma Sakura. It went just as well as when I first met her. Come to think of it, we were about the same age when we first met her too." Naruto said to his and Momo's children.

The events Naruto described to his children, like those that preceded them, were an abridged version of what really happened. Naruto was not privy to all the details of what happened in the past, and could not have known everything that had occurred. There were also events that Naruto felt his children were not ready to learn of, if ever.

"So, what did you think?" Naruto asked his kids.

"I still think part of it was really sappy, but the fight was cool! I still can't believe how tough mom was." Hayao said in awe of his mother's strength.

"I liked those sappy parts." Himeko countered. "You are such a boy, you only like stories that have fighting."

"Nuh uh." Hayao eloquently replied as well as any five year old could.

"Uh huh." Himeko replied as well as a three year old could, despite her seemingly advanced vocabulary for her age.

Once again, Naruto's children were embroiled in an argument over what aspects of the story were more appealing, which never ceased to amuse him.

_'The way they get along reminds me of Momo's siblings and the time we had to baby-sit them for mom and dad's anniversary…' _Naruto though, thinking of what part of his and Momo's story to tell next.

* * *

Author's Notes: I hope Tsunade was in character here. She may seem like a bitter old woman who can't let go of the past but... oh...well, never mind. Well, like Naruto once did, Momo fought some sense into her.

If you're wondering why Naruto calls her grandma and not granny, he's an adult now, not a teenager, so he's slightly more mature, and a little more polite.

I hit a bit of a stumbling block while writing this chapter. As the story is about Naruto telling his kids how he and their mother got together, there are several events Naruto should have no knowledge of. To that end, let's just say the story Naruto tells his kids is an abridged version of events, and the pseudo-flashbacks are what really happened in the past, or the past itself.

Hmm, would that mean any flashback a character has would be more effective in first-person point of view? It makes a bit of sense, as it's supposed to be a memory of that character. It would be easier to tell it's a flashback too by the context, rather than putting it all in italics, which I hate.

Next chapter: Meet the Uchiha brats! While Sakura and Sasuke have a night out on the town, Naruto and Momo get to play house when her siblings need a babysitter!


	15. Past Regrets and Future Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 15: Past Regrets and Future Hope

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

"Say, how would you like to know what your aunts and uncles were like as kids?" Naruto asked his children.

Getting eager nods in reply, Naruto continued his storytelling.

"I remember this one time, it was your grandma Sakura and grandpa Sasuke's wedding anniversary. They planned an entire romantic day out on the town. So, your mother and I volunteered to watch her younger siblings for them while they gave their staff the day off. As I recall, it was a pretty interesting day…"

* * *

_Thirteen years ago, Uchiha household…_

The day was August first, and it was Sakura and Sasuke's fourteenth wedding anniversary. They were married shortly after his eighteenth birthday, as Sasuke was eager to complete his lifelong ambition of restoring his clan. After a brief honeymoon, they returned to see the woman they selected to be the surrogate mother for their first child. Nine months later, Momo was born.

Sasuke himself was oddly insistent that their first child be a girl. Sakura, who was looking forward to having a daughter as well, employed a procedure to filter Sasuke's genetic material during the artificial insemination process that would maximize their chances of having a girl. Unlike what most thought, that was the only time they used such a method. The genders of their children alternating between boy and girl each time was a sheer coincidence.

While August first was special for Sakura and Sasuke, for their children, with the exception of Momo this particular year, it was just another ordinary day. While her younger brothers and sisters were going about their usual routines, at present Momo was readying herself for spending the day with Naruto…and her siblings.

Since Momo was expecting a relatively quiet day at home, the pink haired girl had changed her appearance to match that of one of her role models, her grandmother Uchiha Mikoto. She was wearing a simple dress and apron with her hair in its usual bun, giving her a nice homemaker look. She decided against wearing her goggles and forehead protector as today she was not a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village, but someone taking care of her family. Settling on her look, Momo began making her plans for the day.

_'Okay, I need to make sure my imprudent little sisters don't get any ideas about my man while my foolish little brothers behave and don't embarrass me in front of Naruto.'_

As of late, Momo had developed a jealousy streak concerning Naruto and other females, no matter who they were. In the few moments they were able to spend any time together Momo had taken to glaring at anyone female who even looked at Naruto, and on occasion would eye her mother's battle axes thoughtfully. Most of the women thought it was adorable that Momo would consider herself competition for Naruto's affections.

Those women were not much competition either. Naruto spent most of his time training or taking missions in preparation for the day he would become the Seventh Hokage. Thus his interactions with the members of the opposite sex were limited to those he was friends with, like the surviving members of his generation of shinobi, who had all moved on and were married with families of their own. As for those under his command, he was unable to pursue a relationship with them due to new laws prohibiting fraternization among team-mates.

That only left Momo as the female he spent the most time with, improbably giving her the best odds overall. Out of all the children of those in Naruto's generation, though soon Momo would no longer be considered a child, and in some eyes was not as she was a chunin and was of the age of consent for the region, Momo was the one Naruto had connected to the most. Whether that deep connection was due to her being his former team-mates' daughter, or because of a deeper reason was unknown.

Some believed it was because the bond Naruto had with Momo was the one he should have had with her parents. While they were team-mates and depended on each other to save their lives, as well as the potential they had to become a great team, their personal issues kept all of them from becoming too close. Naruto's crush on Sakura and his rivalry with Sasuke kept him from developing a friendship between them as was the case with the other teams in Naruto's generation.

As Naruto was a friendly, if somewhat obnoxious child, though he grew better with time, he had an easy time making friends, even amongst those who were once his enemies. In time, there were many who considered Naruto a friend, but none of them were as close to him as Momo had become.

As for Momo herself, she was now a thirteen year old adolescent, and in addition to her duties as a chunin of the Hidden Leaf Village, she now had to deal with her teenage hormones and a voice in her head that seemed to be quite fixated on Naruto.

_'We get to spend the day with Naruto! We'll cook him dinner and show him what a great cook we are! Then he'll be all ours!' _The inner voice spoke to Momo.

Worried she was losing her sanity, Momo sought advice from her mother. Sakura merely assured her that it was normal for females in or descended from the Haruno clan, and would fade over time. That did little to reassure her, as the inner voice was quite out of the ordinary at times.

_'After dinner, we can make him a sundae with whipped cream, sprinkles, hot fudge and cherries topped on a peach, if you know what I mean.' _The inner voice spoke again.

Luckily Momo did not understand what it meant, leaving her greatly confused at times.

_'Aren't sundaes supposed to have the toppings on ice cream? We don't have any peach flavoured ice cream.' _Momo thought, missing the point.

Putting aside the strange ideas of her inner voice, Momo had to admit some of its ideas had merit.

_'Cooking for Naruto does sound like a good idea. I'll have to make enough for my siblings as well. Hmm, Naruto could help with that, and I can personally make him something special.'_

A knock on her door broke Momo out of her thoughts of preparing a possibly romantic meal for her one true love.

"Momo dear, Naruto is here." Sakura said, looking forward to her own special day with her one true love.

"Coming mother." Momo replied, just as eager to be with Naruto all day as Sakura was to be with Sasuke.

The two pink haired females then left to meet the most important men in their lives.

* * *

For their anniversary, Sakura and Sasuke had an entire romantic day planned. To make it easier on Naruto and Momo, her siblings who were too young for the shinobi academy would be left with their godmothers. The household staff was also given the day off, so Naruto and Momo would have to pick up the slack. Otherwise, they had the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon to themselves, as Naruto still had an early meeting with Kakashi and had not arrived until after breakfast. That only left him enough time for Sakura to go over the ground rules and introduce him to the rest of her children. Naruto and Momo were in the living room where Sakura was in the process of doing just that.

"Supper is already made; you just need to warm it up. No, it is not ramen," Sakura said, looking at Naruto, "or tsukemen," she said, looking at Momo next, who looked forlorn for a moment.

_'I could still make Naruto a great dessert to show him what a good wife I would be. Maybe a nice peach cobbler…' _Momo thought, remembering her inner voice's earlier suggestion.

"Be sure to put the kids to bed at their bedtime." Sakura continued. "I don't want them staying up late. Make sure they brush their teeth and wash themselves before going to bed as well."

"We will mother." Momo replied.

"Don't worry; this'll be a piece of cake." Naruto declared boldly.

"Sure it will." Sakura said, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at Naruto's confident tone. "Wait until you two have kids of your own, then try telling me raising them is a piece of cake." She joked, leaving the implication of them having children together hanging in the air.

Naruto did not seem to get it, but Momo did. She gave Naruto a glance, but his expression was that of his usual cheerful grin.

"Nah, it'll be years before I'm ready to have any kids of my own. You'll probably be a grandmother by then." Naruto said, referring to Sakura, and not realizing the potential irony in his statement.

Sakura did realize it, and let out a slight laugh.

"I'm still too young to be a grandmother." She said, giving Momo a look of warning that Naruto did not notice.

While he was a very powerful shinobi and showed incredible insight on the battlefield, in many areas, Naruto still had a lot to learn. The nuances of being in a relationship and common knowledge possessed by those who had a family were among them. Through contact with Momo and her family, Naruto was slowly beginning to learn about it and would figure it all out in time.

"Okay then, since that was everything, and while we're on the topic of children, it's time I introduced you to your charges for the day." Sakura said, speaking directly to Naruto.

While he was close to Momo, Naruto had been too busy to get to know her siblings and had only seen them in passing. Today he would spend more time with them than he had in all the time since meeting Momo; the day he considered his second life began.

In short order, Sakura had left the room and returned with five children, the rest of the family she had with Sasuke. One by one, she had them line up and introduce themselves to Naruto.

The first one in line was a boy who looked quite similar to Sasuke in terms of physical appearance, but that was the end of the resemblance. Whereas Sasuke dressed in dark colours, the boy sported a mix of yellow, orange and red. In particular, he wore a yellow jacket with red and orange flame embroidery.

"I'm Arashi." The boy said. "Did you really once paint the Hokage monument in broad daylight?" He asked Naruto suddenly, putting the youthful man on the spot.

"Uh, yeah, I did." Naruto admitted, slightly embarrassed about his past ways.

"That is awesome!" Arashi declared. "I wish I could have done something like that, but after my last prank I got an ANBU team assigned to watch me at all times while I'm at the academy. Something about causing a lot of property damage and light charges of arson, I wasn't really paying attention."

Naruto just blinked, as Arashi did not meet his expectations at all.

_'Sasuke's son is a prankster like I used to be? Huh, how about that.'_

Due to his musings, Naruto missed Sakura scolding Arashi.

"Sorry about Arashi. He just needs the right outlet for his boredom." Sakura explained. "I'm sure you'll be a good influence on him to get him to stop playing pranks and find a more constructive hobby."

Naruto nodded in understanding, as unlike romance, this was something he understood all too well.

_'Arashi is probably bored at the academy because he's too skilled, given who his parents are. Playing pranks are his way of keeping those skills sharp. I guess Momo's parents wanted to wait until they were sure I'd be a good influence and not make him worse before we met. Have we really fallen that far apart?'_

Naruto took a quick glance at Momo, who looked towards him as well once she felt his eyes on her, gave him a slight smile, and then turned back to her mother and siblings.

_'Momo doesn't seem to mind my past. She must think I'd be a good influence too. I'm glad it doesn't bother her.'_

Naruto had no idea why the thought of Momo being disappointed in him or being a bad influence on children worried him; the thought never crossed his mind.

"Alright, moving along now." Sakura said as she continued the introductions, ushering her next child forward.

A girl stepped forward this time. Like her older sister and mother, she had pink hair. Unlike Sakura though, it was long like Momo's had become, but kept down. Her complexion was different from them, as her skin looked almost grey in the light. She wore a blue shirt and skirt with a matching cloak and hood, which was down at the moment.

"I'm Suika." She said, before returning to stand with her siblings.

Once again Naruto just blinked, as another of Sakura and Sasuke's kids did not live up to his expectations.

_'I thought she'd be more like Momo and their mother, but she seems more like their father.'_

Sakura however just repressed another sigh.

"Don't think bad of Suika. She acts distant like her father, but she's just shy like I used to be." Sakura explained.

"Mother…" Suika said in response with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks.

Once again, Naruto caught on.

_'I get it; Suika is just shy like her mother was before she met Mrs. Yamanaka. I guess she wants me to help her open up more. I'll have to see what I can do.'_

The next child, knowing it was his turn, eagerly stepped forward. He was dressed quite similarly to Uchiha Obito; a blue shirt and pants with orange detailing. The only thing missing were the goggles, although he could always borrow Momo's to complete the look.

"My name is Uchiha Shippo and I'm going to be Hokage someday, you can count on it!" The boy declared.

The absolute gob smacked look on Naruto's face upon hearing the boy's introduction was so priceless Sakura took a picture.

"Nice, I just need to get that framed and I have the perfect bonus anniversary present for Sasuke." Sakura said.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still trying to comprehend the actions of another of Sakura and Sasuke's offspring.

_'The boys look like their father, but so far they act more like I used to. What happened, did their parents try to get them to be like me so they wouldn't turn out like their father? Actually, that may be what happened. If so, I guess they want me to help make sure they turn out okay like I did for their father.'_

While Naruto was pondering how to be a good role model for his former team-mates' sons, Sakura slipped next to him and started whispering in his ear, ignoring the jealous look Momo was brazen enough to give her.

"Shippo also has a bit of a crush on a girl who's just not interested in him. Would you mind talking to him about it? You're better suited for dealing with something like this than his father."

Naruto gave a slight nod in reply. Some might have viewed Sakura's request as cruel given how he once had a crush on her, but Naruto was over that, having come to recognize his feelings for her as childish crush and nothing more. In time, he would move onto feelings of true love with someone he never expected to fall for, just like Shippo would someday as well.

_'Oh boy, this is going to be tricky. I wonder if this will be just as hard when I have kids someday. At least I could always ask Momo for help.' _Naruto thought, thinking of Momo as just a friend who could lend a hand and not the potential mother of his children, yet.

As his turn was done, Shippo took his place with his siblings, signalling the next of them to step forward and introduce themselves. This time a girl stepped forward. As with her sisters, she had pink hair and dark eyes. She was dressed in a black kimono that looked quite nice on her, creating a unique contrast with her hair.

"I'm Hikari. You can't have any of the inarizushi. It's mine, all mine!" She said, referring to the leftover brown bag sushi from the previous night.

Finally Sakura did sigh at the antics of her youngest daughter.

"Hikari is still in her mine phase and has a bit of a jealousy streak if she sees someone with something she wants. Don't worry about it; she'll grow out of it someday, hopefully." Sakura once again whispered to Naruto.

When Hikari moved back to her siblings, the final child stepped forward. This one, like Arashi and Shippo, looked more like Sasuke than Sakura, but was closer in appearance to their grandmother Mikoto than their father. The child had long dark hair and wore a pretty pink kimono, which made for an unusual sight next to Hikari.

"My name is Fuyuki. It is a pleasure to meet you." The child said politely with more developed language skills than Naruto expected a three year-old to have.

"It's not all that surprising," Sakura explained as if she could read Naruto's mind, "he does have good genetics and has been taught at an advanced level since he was born. Also, before you ask, yes, Fuyuki is a boy. He always cried when we dressed him in boy's clothes but never when he let him wear his sisters' old clothes. Finally we gave up and let him dress as he liked."

As before, Naruto nodded along with Sakura's explanation of her children's quirks. This time, he had a little smile of his own.

_'Arashi and Shippo must have been influenced by their father to be more like me, but I can see Fuyuki is more like Haku. I guess I wasn't the only one changed by him, or at least not the only one to carry on his memory.'_

Now that the introductions were done, the kids were ready to go.

"Alright, it's time for us to go. I'll take the kids and drop Fuyuki and Hikari off with their godparents and the others at the shinobi academy. You two have a good time." Sakura said as she and her youngest son and daughter made their way out. "Just not too good a time." She said silently to herself once out of the house.

"So, what do we do now?" Naruto asked Momo once they were alone.

Pausing to think, Momo heard her inner voice give a suggestion.

_'Show him around the house. You can make a stop by our room, and let him enter our private space.' _The voice said to Momo.

Once again, she failed to notice the innuendo entirely.

"We don't need to start on the household chores right away. I can show you around the house, or the rest of the district." Momo said.

"That sounds good." Naruto answered with a nod. "I've been here a few times before but I've never had a chance to look around much. Why don't you give me a tour of the house first?"

For the next few minutes, Momo showed Naruto around her family's manor.

"I think I remember your father having this place remodelled before he and your mother moved in. I know he always wanted to restore his clan, so he'd need a big family and space for them." Naruto commented during the tour.

"I'm glad I get my own room. I don't think I could stand having to share one with my imprudent little sisters or worse, my foolish little brothers." Momo said, voicing her gratefulness to her father for his foresight.

"Still, it must be nice having siblings. Despite how it sounds, I bet you guys are really close." Naruto said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

_'I forgot Naruto was an orphan.' _Momo thought guiltily, feeling bad she might have reminded Naruto of his lonely childhood. _'He seems so happy and normal it's hard to tell sometimes.'_

"Don't worry about it; I got over being an orphan some time after your parents got together." Naruto said to relieve Momo of her guilt. "I know my parents really loved me, so now I'm just looking forward to the day when I'm ready to become a parent."

That relieved Momo, who resumed her tour. When they made it to the bedrooms, she pointed out how they were colour coded by Sakura for her children; pink for the girls and blue for the boys. After pointing out to Naruto each of her sibling rooms, Momo led him to her own room.

"This is my bedroom." She said with a slight blush at the thought of a man like Naruto seeing or even being in her bedroom.

To Momo's surprising relief, rather than enter, Naruto merely leaned in from the doorway to see the inside of her room. It was rather Spartan for a young girl, but normal for a shinobi. A bed, framed by a nightstand at each side, was against the wall to the left of the window. Its only outstanding features were pink sheets and an orange fox plushy on a pillow. Sales of items like that had increased as the pain of the losses from the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon's attack faded and Naruto rose to greatness. A small and neatly kept desk was against the opposite wall of the room. There was no closet to conserve space, but a pair of dressers which seemed large enough to hold plenty of clothing were placed to the left of the door, which faced the window.

"You've got a lot of plants in here." Naruto commented, as his own interest in gardening made them stand out to him.

"Those are my bonsai trees." Momo replied, reminding Naruto of her hobby.

They were covering a shelf each on the two bookcases framing Momo's desk. The remaining shelves had books about bonsai care, gardening, medicine and strangely, a few fiction novels about forbidden romance between a young woman and an older man.

After an incident with her diary being found by Arashi when Momo was younger, she learned that he went for the obvious hiding places for it, where it was, instead of checking the bookshelf, which he ignored. Learning from this, as a substitute for hiding them, Momo kept her romance novels spread out among the other books, which were grouped by type, hiding them in plain sight. Instead of peering close and learning what they were, most people quickly skimmed past them in favour of noting the topics of the clustered books.

It seemed to work, as Naruto paid no attention to any of them with their real contents hard to determine from their seemingly random placement and ambiguous names. Momo made sure to find romance novels whose titles did not give away the plot, but rather made a clever statement. Because of this, there was the added bonus that observers may think the romance novels were part of the books there were placed beside. Something titled How Does Your Garden Grow could be interpreted to be about growing medicinal herbs and not given a second glance.

"Alright, so what's next on the tour?" Naruto asked, satisfied with what he had seen.

"I don't think my parents would like it if we looked in their room." Momo stated. "Would you like to see the other homes my parents set aside for me and my siblings now?" She asked.

"Sure." Naruto answered with a shrug. "Let's go."

They then headed out, to the dismay of Momo's inner voice.

_'No! You were supposed to show him into our room like in chapter eighteen of _How to Trim a Young Bush _where…'_

Momo ignored the inner voice, noting it was odd how the inner voice knew what happened in that chapter when she thought she skipped over its seemingly mature content.

* * *

Having left her home in the care of her daughter and former team-mate and then dropped her children off for the day, Sakura made her way to Team Seven's old meeting spot. There she would meet up with her other team-mate turned husband, Sasuke.

_'I still can't believe that as of today, it has been fourteen years that we've been married.' _Sakura thought as she reflected on their years together. _'It wasn't easy at first, and we have some tense moments sometimes, but it was worth it.'_

Soon enough Sakura had made it to the bridge where the defunct team seven awaited their formerly tardy instructor's arrival. She had arrived before Sasuke for once, leading Sakura to continue her reminiscence.

_'I remember how Sasuke would always be here first, and when I made it, I'd talk to him and ask if he wanted to go out with me. Sasuke would just grunt and look away from me. I used to think he was being cool and aloof. I was so stupid.'_

For a moment, Sakura lowered her head in shame over her childish actions.

_'I was so selfish and shallow back then. I was always trying to get Sasuke to be my boyfriend when I should have just tried to be his friend. He had lost his entire family and wouldn't risk losing anyone else until he brought Itachi to justice.'_

The sound of approaching footsteps brought Sakura out of her introspection. She turned to their source and saw Sasuke walking up to her with a bouquet of flowers.

"I brought you some roses," he said as he handed the bouquet to Sakura, "one for every year we've been married."

"They're lovely." Sakura replied, taking in their aroma as she held them in her arms.

"Shall we get going?" Sasuke asked as he held out his hand for his wife.

"Yes, let's." Sakura said, taking her husbands hand in her own.

As Sakura followed Sasuke's lead, a bouquet of roses in one hand and the love of her life in another she remembered her earlier thoughts.

_'I may have wasted my childhood trying to get together with you,' Sakura thought as she stole a glance at her husband, 'but I'm with you now. We will never have those years back, but I have the rest of my life to make it up to you.'_

Sakura did not know it, but Sasuke's thoughts were quite similar to her own.

_'What a fool I was. You were devoted to me and willing to not only sacrifice your closest bond, but join me in leaving the village, risking becoming a wanted criminal just to be with me. I only thought you cared about my looks or that I was an Uchiha. I could not have been more wrong. You really did love me. You even called off your friendship with Yamanaka because you knew it would be ruined once we got together. You wanted to leave with me because you knew how much it would hurt to lose me. I know all too well what it's like to lose someone you love.'_

Although Sasuke did not speak his mind much, it did not mean his mind was not active. Ever since the day he lost all those he cared about, he had started bottling up him emotions. It took the years of efforts from not only Sakura, but even Naruto and eventually the children Sasuke had with Sakura to help him let out and deal with those emotions, like his guilt. Just as Sakura felt guilty for her actions as a child, so did Sasuke.

_'I was such a coward. It was the fear of losing anyone and everyone I cared about again that turned me down that dark path. I could have had friends and even a lover from the very beginning but I was too consumed by my ambition. I only cared about anything that could support getting my vengeance and thought of anything that deterred me from it as an annoyance. That single-minded obsession almost cost me everything.'_

As they strolled along, Sakura would point out various places and their significance to them, like the restaurant they went to for their third date. Sasuke nodded along, still engrossed in his thoughts.

_'If it was not for you staying devoted and proving you truly loved me, I might have been consumed by the darkness and become beyond saving. You saved me Sakura and for that I am eternally grateful. Even more, you gave me back the family I lost. I don't deserve you, so I'll spend the rest of our lives to make myself worthy of you.'_

The past is something that cannot be changed. All anyone can really do is learn from their mistakes and move on. The future however, it is what one makes of it.

* * *

On the other side of the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto and Momo were now standing outside the house next door to the Uchiha manor, having stopped there as part of Momo's tour of the estates.

"This house will be mine someday, when I get married and have a family of my own." She said, pointing it out to Naruto, who let out a whistle in it's appreciation.

"It's a nice place. The guy you end up marrying will be a lucky man."

_'He is.' _Momo thought as she gazed at the man she hoped to share her future home with.

Since the house was still locked down and awaiting the day its future owners would make it their own, Naruto continued to follow Momo on her tour around the small neighbourhood Sasuke kept for his own clan. Not before long they were finished.

"So what should we do now?" Naruto asked his tour guide.

Momo paused a bit before answering, as if expecting something, like a sudden growling noise.

"Would you like to get brunch first? Mother already made supper, but I can make us a nice meal before we start our chores." She said eagerly, hoping to impress Naruto with her homemaking skills.

"Sounds great. I had some instant ramen earlier and that was it. Say, your mother only said we couldn't have ramen or tsukemen for supper, didn't she?" Naruto asked with a mischievous look.

"That's right, she did." Momo answered with a giggle.

"Alright, so let's go then." Naruto said as they did just that.

While one pink haired woman was vowing to make up for her past, a pink haired girl was now looking forward to her future. Just as Sakura had to wait for Sasuke to put his family's spirits to rest and deal with the issues their loss had left him with, so too would Momo have to wait for Naruto to recognize her as a woman someday when she became one. For both of them, mother and daughter, if it meant they would get to spend the rest of their lives with the man they each truly loved, that wait was worth it.

* * *

As Naruto and Momo were about to have brunch, Sakura and Sasuke were settling in for a break as well. They had stopped at the same tea house they went to for their first date.

"Do you remember that day?" Sakura asked Sasuke once they had quenched their thirst on the bitter drink. "We couldn't decide on where to go so we just ended up having tea."

Sakura wanted to go to a new restaurant that served dango as their specialty but Sasuke, who disliked sweets, wanted to have a more filling meal at the local Korean barbeque restaurant. Sakura, who was never a big eater even after she became Tsunade's apprentice, though she did stop dieting and ate healthier, disliked spicy food. Ultimately they agreed to have tea as a compromise and would indulge in their preferences later.

"Hn." Sasuke said in reply.

A grunt may not have been a very romantic reply, but Sakura, who knew Sasuke always had trouble expressing himself, could tell what her husband was really feeling. His posture was relaxed, showing he felt safe enough to let down his guard around her. At the mention of their first date, his lips turned up ever so slightly into a smile as he replied. What really set Sakura's heart a flutter was how Sasuke never took his eyes off her even as he sipped his tea, showing she was all that mattered to him.

"Do you remember the first time you told me you loved me?" Sakura asked as she laughed at the memory.

"I remember." Sasuke replied as he held back his own laughs.

"You finally said you loved me instead of just saying 'Hn'". Sakura said as she did her best impression of Sasuke's typical grunt. "I was so freaked out I tried my best to dispel the illusion I was convinced I was caught in. Then when you started laughing I was convinced you had been replaced by an impostor."

Sakura was laughing more openly now, but Sasuke, ever the professional shinobi, kept his calm, though he did find it funny as well.

"It's okay though." Sakura said once her amusement was under control. "That was the day I learned 'Hn' is Uchiha for I love you."

Sakura's emerald eyes were now gazing into Sasuke's own onyx orbs. Both were feeling the same emotion, one as they always had and the other as they learned to feel over time.

"I love you."

"Hn too."

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke may not have been too hungry but Naruto and Momo were. While her parents were enjoying a relaxing day she had a lot of hard work around the house to look forward to so Momo had cooked a lot of ramen and tsukemen for herself and Naruto using the ingredients he kept on him. A few years of experience in taking field missions had taught him to be prepared at all times, thus he was able to enjoy the cooking skills Hinata had imparted to Momo as they enjoyed a nice meal in her family's dining room. She had made ramen for him before but now she had several more months of experience in preparing the noodle dish that made a significant difference.

"This ramen is so good! You're a really good cook Momo!" He said while helping himself to her homemade ramen.

"Thank you Naruto." Momo said with a slight blush, still unable to control doing so whenever he complimented her.

"I mean it. You'll make some guy very lucky someday, believe it!"

That first accolade had made Momo blush a bit but the next, a genuine recognition of her homemaking skills, had left her completely red-faced.

_'Naruto thinks we're a great cook! We're one step closer to making him all ours!' _Inner Momo called out triumphantly to her outer self. _'Now get in there and give him something he'll really like the taste of!'_

Unfortunately Momo was too embarrassed to act on her inner self's suggestion.

"Hn." She squeaked out, unable to say much else under the circumstances.

"Ah Momo, you're my best friend too." Naruto said, misinterpreting what she meant.

Putting down his chopsticks and moving from his seat across from Momo at the table to her side, Naruto pulled her into a one-armed hug, causing her to snuggle into his chest to hide her blushing countenance.

_'Momo is kind of cute like this. It's weird how normally she's a strong kunoichi but shows a different side when it's just us. I kind of like it.' _Naruto thought of his young friend.

Momo was too engrossed in enjoying their closeness to think, but Inner Momo had ideas of her own.

_'Now's your chance! While we're close, steal a kiss! I bet it'll taste like ramen!' _Inner Momo suggested.

The real Momo was still too embarrassed to do what the voice in her head said, which was probably for the best, as Naruto had already moved back to his seat.

_'Nooo! You missed out on some hot, ramen flavoured smooches! How could you!' _Inner Momo vented at her outer self.

Unaware of Momo's inner self berating her host but completely aware of how extolling her cooking embarrassed her, Naruto decided to change the topic to something she would be more comfortable with. It was a little quirk Naruto and Momo had developed that gave them the ability to know how the other was feeling and what to do to if they were feeling bad.

"So what kinds of bonsai did you have? Are they artificial or do you grow them yourself?" He asked her.

"I use artificial trees. I don't have the time to maintain live trees." Momo explained, finding her voice again.

The topic stayed on Momo's bonsai for a bit. Her discomfort was soon forgotten once she was explaining more about her hobby. Through his own experience with caring for houseplants, Naruto was able to add to the discussion as well, giving suggestions on how to make time to care for live trees of her own. Soon, their meal and conversation was over, leading way to work-time.

"Well, I suppose it's time we started on the household chores. Why don't we start with the gardening? I'm really good at it, believe it!" Naruto said.

"I like it too. It's nice and relaxing." Momo responded.

"I know, isn't it? It's great that we think alike." Naruto said as they began the first of their many chores.

Momo did not answer him, but silently revelled in the many connections that they had.

* * *

It was now lunchtime in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. As the many children of the village exited the various schools for lunch and play, Sakura and Sasuke watched them go on their way from a park bench. Sasuke sat upright, so Sakura snuggled into his left side, with one of his arms wrapped protectively around her. They were both silent, content with merely enjoying the other's presence. As they continued to observe the many children, Sasuke broke their silence.

"Do you think we should have another child?" He asked Sakura, who gave him a stern look in response. "Right, sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

"I think we've had enough children anyway." Sakura replied. "I do love them though, they make life interesting and I can't imagine my life without them, but at some point I'd like to move on from being a working mother raising her children and be a retired grandmother doting on her grandchildren while asking her children why they don't visit more despite living right next door."

"You're right." Sasuke acquiesced to his wife's statement. "I'd think I'd like to move on to being a retired grandfather someday too. It would be nice to see a lot of grandchildren someday. It would make me feel like the Uchiha really were a clan once more."

"Humph, look at us, talking about having grandchildren while we're still young. We've got young children of our own, we should focus on them right now." Sakura said, to which Sasuke nodded in reply.

"They certainly are worth it, aren't they?" He asked her.

"Yes, they are."

* * *

As Naruto and Momo would soon find out, the other children of Sasuke and Sakura were quite a handful.

For Naruto and Momo, it was now late in the afternoon and their chores had been completed, so they were taking a much needed break. They were more mentally exhausted from performing them, as Momo directed Naruto's many shadow clones and he felt all of their combined mental fatigue when he dispelled them and gained their memories. At the moment, the two were collapsed next to each other on a couch in the Uchiha's living room.

"So much for my theory that what one of me can do in an hour, one hundred of me can do in less then a minute." Naruto lamented.

"If you had taken more D-rank missions when you were a genin, you'd know that already." Momo said, her affections for Naruto not blinding her to his shortcomings.

Unbeknownst to Naruto and possibly Momo as well, while he was being distracted by their conversation, Momo was slowly moving closer to him and into snuggling range.

"It's not like I was allowed to use shadow clones on D-rank missions." Naruto countered. "Still, I can't believe those useless chores had a point."

"They're for building teamwork among new genin teams, while doing public relations. By helping the ordinary citizens of the village, we're showing that we're more than child soldiers." Momo said, explaining what she had been taught in the academy and as a genin.

"I know, but I'm too old to be doing D-rank missions."

"You're still young. You look like a handsome young man." Momo replied, her mental fatigue or possibly another factor making her say things she normally would not.

"Thanks Momo." Naruto said, smiling at the compliment. "I guess I've still got another sixty or seventy years in me thanks to my Uzumaki vitality, so I'll be around for a while still."

"Mmm." Was all that came out of Momo, who was now right next to him.

_'Naruto's so warm, and I can hear his heartbeat.' _She thought as she moved her arms around him.

"Huh, hey, Momo?" Naruto asked the soon to be peacefully sleeping girl on his chest.

_'What are you doing?' _Inner Momo asked her outward psyche. _'We're almost right on top of Naruto and you're going to sleep?'_

"Just five more minutes." Momo said, ignoring the efforts of Naruto and her inner self to spurn her into other actions.

"Uh, Momo, I'm not entirely comfortable with you cuddling into me like this." Naruto said, fearful of what might happen if someone were to walk in at the moment.

Naruto may have been okay with just giving Momo a hug, but at the moment she was practically sitting in his lap with her arms around him. Luckily for him, the grandfather clock striking three o'clock broke Momo from her daze.

"Come on now, we only have fifteen minutes before we have to get your siblings from the daycare and the academy." Naruto said as he pulled himself from Momo's grip and got up.

"Alright." Momo responded as she reluctantly got up as well.

_'Nooooo! Naruto was right where we want him and you were too tired to do anything about it?' _Inner Momo complained. _'Let me take over and I'll get him!'_

Once again, Momo ignored her inner voice. This time she was too tired to listen. Popping a soldier pill to regain some strength, and thankful that the inner voice was done ranting now, she and Naruto headed out to retrieve her siblings, unaware of just what would happen.

* * *

_Present Day, Uzumaki household…_

"And that was how I learned the true meaning of Christmas. Wait, what were we talking about again?"

At some point, Naruto had trailed off during his storytelling and switched from telling his children about the day he and their mother watched their aunts and uncles for the day while their grandparents celebrated their anniversary and told the tale of his first Christmas. That however, is a story for another time.

"I know, I wrote a book about how your mother and I got together. I've got a copy in the den, so I'll go get it. It's an edited account to make it age appropriate, but it should help me remember what really happened."

Forming a shadow clone to observe his children, as Naruto would not leave them alone for a second, he ran off to the den.

"What did real daddy mean by edited?" Himeko asked the copy of her father.

"Yeah, and what does age appropriate mean?" Hayao asked next.

"Well you see…" The shadow clone began, cursing its creator for leaving him in this position.

While Hayao and Himeko interrogated the shadow clone of their father, taking advantage of their cuteness and its unwillingness to harm them, Naruto was looking through his den. After a quick look at his bookshelf and mentally thanking Momo for organizing it for him, Naruto pulled out the book he wrote based on their unusual romance.

_'The Fruits of Our Love, by Uzumaki Naruto.'_

After hearing that a traditional first anniversary present was paper and fresh off the success of The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, Naruto decided to write a book based on his and Momo's relationship. He had not originally planned to publish it, but after Momo edited it to eliminate any content she preferred kept private, she convinced him to publish the book. The original manuscript was kept by Momo, who still read it from time to time. Gazing around the den for a moment, Naruto noted some of its contents.

_'There's the bonsai tree Momo made for me.' He thought, looking at the artificial tree, which was on a shelf of the bookcase. 'It took me a while to understand its meaning, and the meaning of the others.'_

A pair of formal upright style bonsai were on the shelf as well, on each side of the one made by Momo's gift. They were actually made by Momo and Naruto after she showed him how to do so once they were married. Once they were done, she explained how they represented a product of their love and that by working together they could create something beautiful. Naruto agreed it was a nice sentiment. That was when Momo told him she was pregnant with their first child.

_'Should I tell the kids about that or are they too young?' _Naruto thought as he leafed through The Fruits of Our Love. _'I know,' _he thought as he stopped at chapter seventeen, _'I can tell them about the year I became Hokage, their mother became a jonin, and we became more than friends. That'll be later though. I still need to tell them what really happened, according to the book anyway, on their grandparents' anniversary.'_

Settling on what to tell his children about next, Naruto went back into the living room to see them. Upon entering the room, he found Hayao and Himeko had pinned down his shadow clone and were tickling it into submission. The real Naruto cleared his throat, gaining his children's attention and freeing his shadow clone. Now free, the shadow clone was mentally dispelled by Naruto, who was slightly concerned about how much power his family had over him.

_'I rule the military which leads the village. At home though, my wife and kids rule over me.' _He thought, reminding himself of an old quote he read once. _'I know Momo is aware of that, but I hope the kids don't catch on.'_

Seeing that their father was back, Hayao and Himeko settled back down into their previous positions. Naruto did so as well, looking up the relevant chapter from his book before resuming his storytelling.

"I should have brought this out from the beginning. Luckily I remembered most of it. Anyway, this is sort of what really happened that day." Naruto said. "Hey, if I knew I'd write a book about it someday I'd have kept notes." He said when his children gave him a weird look. "Okay, the day was August first and it was…"

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for taking so long to get this done. I had a really hard time writing this chapter. The Sasu/Saku parts were the hardest for me to write. I kept getting distracted while writing them. Eventually I worked out the majority of them recently once I got the right inspiration.

I wanted this to be done on August 1st, as it would have been released on Sakura and Sasuke's anniversary, but it wasn't anywhere near complete. Instead it ended up being posted on Naruto's birthday. How about that.

Then there was the issue of the OC children. Originally I planned the chapter to be about them and Naruto and Momo's efforts to watch them for a day, showing what their family life would be like with their own kids someday. The Naruto/Momo and Sasuke/Sakura comparisons just took over the chapter.

I also took some time off to work on a side-story aimed at creating profiles for each of the Uchiha Brats to save on exposition in this chapter. Eventually I settled on just doing a brief introduction for each one and making them more prominent in the next chapter, which includes material that was originally meant to be part of this one, before the word count began to exceed 7000 words.

That said, if anyone is interested in seeing that side-story, despite it being just exposition about OC's and a little story about each one, I'll try to finish it. I'm sure Sasuke/Sakura fans would be curious about how each of their kids turns out, and Momo gets her own chapter too. It shows some nice insights into the relationship between not only her and Naruto, but him and her parents.

There's a funny story behind the use of the title _How Does Your Garden Grow _in this story. That's the actual title of a children's book, but the story behind how I ended up using it is NSFW.

According to xkcd comic 898: Chain of Command, Themistocles once said this: "Athens rules all Greece; I control Athens; my wife controls me; and my infant son controls her." Basically, his infant son rules all of Greece. That's the quote Naruto was thinking of.


	16. To Be Part of a Family

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 16: To Be Part of a Family

Author's Note: To avoid any confusion, the names of Naruto and Momo's son and daughter have been changed to Hayao and Himeko respectively. Also, the previous chapters have been revised slightly to include minor changes and corrections.

* * *

_Thirteen years ago, Hidden Leaf Village…_

Outside of the shinobi academy, in the playground where the children awaited the arrival of their parents or legal guardians, an interesting event was taking place; one Naruto was quite familiar with. A young boy with dark hair dressed in orange and blue was loudly professing his love to a girl his age who appeared to be a Yamanaka. She was with two other girls who appeared to be members of the Nara and Akimichi clans. Meanwhile, two pink haired girls, one in a blue cloak and another in a red dress along with a Hyuuga girl who kept her brown hair in two buns watched the scene unfold from the sidelines.

"That would be Shippo, my foolish younger brother embarrassing himself again." Momo said, explaining the unusual situation to Naruto with a sigh.

Naruto merely nodded as the scene was bringing back memories of his childhood that he would prefer remain forgotten.

'_It's like watching myself and my friends as kids…' _He thought as he observed the scene.

"The girl he's always confessing to is Yamanaka Himawari, Mrs. Ino's daughter." Momo said, breaking Naruto from his thoughts. "Her friends are Akimichi Chouko and Nara Shizue."

'_The next generation of the Ino/Shika/Cho trio.' _Naruto thought. _'Funny but I always thought Ino would end up with Choji. I didn't know marriages between the shinobi clans of our village were so rare. I guess that's why there isn't anyone with the Byakugan and the Inuzuka's sense of smell, or someone with the ability to use all of the techniques of the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi clans.'_

"That's my second cousin Mio over there with my little sister Suika." Momo said, now pointing out the girls watching Shippo from the sidelines. "Hyuuga Takeko is the other girl. She helps look out for them since her parents were friends with the other kids' parents."

By "them", Momo was referring to the children of the Rookie Nine, plus Team Guy. As for referring to Takeko's parents in the past tense, they were deceased. Naruto swallowed a lump in his throat at the reminder of the loss of two of his friends.

'_Neji, Tenten, I should pay my respects to you both again soon. I don't know if you'd still be here if I hadn't tried to do everything myself like a big damn hero, but I'm not going to let anyone else die now that I'm back.' _Naruto thought as he balled his fists. _'At least Hinata and Lee are there for your daughter. What a strange family.'_

"Are you alright?" Momo asked Naruto.

He had been silent for a moment, and she was growing concerned.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking of some of the events I've missed out on, and the friends I had who died. Sometimes I feel like I missed out on so much that I'm no longer part of my generation and I don't know where I belong."

'_You belong with me.' _Momo wanted to say, but could not yet bring herself to do so.

"Well, until I figure this out, I think I'll stay with you Momo." Naruto said, granting her unspoken wish. "I feel like I connect better with you than people my own age." He finished, smiling at her.

"I like being with you too." Momo replied, smiling as well. "I don't get along with anyone my age either." She continued, looking down a bit and dropping the smile.

"Well, it's a good thing we have each other." Naruto said, pulling Momo into a one-armed hug.

By that point, the crowd that had assembled to watch Shippo embarrass himself yet again had dispersed, leaving the despondent Uchiha by himself. Even if Naruto and Momo were not having another of their moments, it was unlikely they would have been able to do anything to help him. Instead, they settled for collecting Momo's younger siblings and moving on.

* * *

Now that they had found Shippo and Suika, only Arashi needed to be picked up before moving on to Momo's youngest siblings who were too young to attend the shinobi academy. On the way to find the eldest son, Naruto decided to start up a conversation with the younger male while Momo spoke to her little sister.

"So Shippo, tell me about yourself." Naruto asked the young Uchiha. "I already know you want to become Hokage."

"Well, I have a wind affinity like you and I'm good at genjutsu, but not as good as my big brother Arashi. I am learning chakra sensing from Aunt Karin though. She says I have a talent for it!"

That statement caused Naruto to freeze in his tracks.

"Wait, did I hear that right? _Aunt Karin_?" Naruto asked.

"Yup!" Shippo answered with a nod. "She's my godmother!" He further clarified.

'_That explains so much.' _Naruto thought to himself. _'If he's as bad about pursuing a crush as me and Karin combined…' _He thought before trailing off.

The idea was too horrifying to ponder any further.

"So, tell me about that girl you tried to ask out." Naruto asked, causing the young Uchiha to break into a grin.

"Himawari is great!" Shippo declared. "She's really pretty and smart."

"I see." Naruto said. "So, what interests does she have?"

"Umm, let me think." Shippo replied as he scratched the top of his head. "Her family runs a flower shop so she must like flowers." He answered, causing Naruto to suppress a sigh.

'_He really is just like I was.' _Naruto thought. _'He's only attracted to Ino's daughter for shallow reasons. He's not friends with her who share interests like I am with Momo._' He further thought, not realizing the implications of the comparison between Momo and Sakura in that context.

Glancing down at Shippo, Naruto was reminded of his own childhood, or rather, the lack of a proper one.

'_I pretty much wasted my youth chasing after someone else's girl instead of trying to be her friend or focusing on my training. Momo's mother thought of me as just an annoyance for years. I won't let Shippo make that mistake with Ino's daughter. The problem is how to I convince him to move on? What would it have taken me to stop asking Momo's mother out and focus on my training?'_

"Say, big brother Naruto, what would it take for me to become Hokage someday?" Shippo asked, breaking Naruto away from his thoughts.

Taken aback by the form of address, one he had not heard in years, Naruto took a moment to gather his thoughts before replying.

'_I suppose that's my answer. If I was given a sure-fire way to becoming Hokage, even one that meant I had to dedicate myself to it in favour of doing anything else, I'd take it.'_

"Well, there is one thing you can do." Naruto began. "If you're serious about becoming the Hokage someday, there is a technique you can learn that would definitely help you achieve that goal."

"There is? Tell me, tell me!" Shippo practically shouted in excitement as he energetically bounced about.

"This is a technique that combines rotation, power and control to create a sphere of pure chakra without the use of hand seals." Naruto began, keeping Shippo's attention on him. "I have to warn you though; it takes a lot of control and is very chakra intensive. You'll have to train non-stop for years, but by the time you become a genin, you should have it mastered. After all, you're not much younger than Konohamaru was when I taught it to him."

Shippo beamed at the comparison to the self-proclaimed Eight Hokage, thus Naruto did not feel bad for not mentioning that Konohamaru required the help of a shadow clone to perform the illustrious technique when he was still a genin.

"This technique was created by my father, who taught it to both his sensei and student, who as you know were my Grandpa Jiraiya and the Sixth Hokage, who taught me and your father, Hatake Kakashi. They helped me master it, just like I'm sure you will someday."

Needless to say, Shippo was hanging onto Naruto's every word, especially as he would soon be taught a technique known only to those who became Hokage, those who could have done so, or, unknown to him, those who married or would someday marry a Hokage.

"Shippo, I am going to teach you the Rasengan."

* * *

It did not take too long to move from one side of the academy where the younger students gathered to the other where the older students did. Naruto was expecting that Arashi would be waiting for them and not another scene like with Shippo.

Alas, it was not meant to be. As was usual for Arashi, he was getting into trouble. This time, he was challenging a group of boys from the senior class. The new academy year had just started, so he, Suika and Shippo moved up a grade. Arashi was eager to start the new semester like he always did, by cementing his reputation as a troublemaker.

He stood before his classmates with a ring of spectators that now included Naruto, Momo and Suika around all of them. They were facing Arashi so he would be aware of their presence but his opponents would not. Unfortunately, none of the children had noticed the village hero among them, or the guaranteed accolades from his many fans would have allowed Naruto to avoid something much more embarrassing.

"I'm going to beat you guys!" Arashi, who had still yet to notice his siblings or hero amongst the crowd, called out. "I've learned a super awesome technique created by none other than my dad's former team-mate, Uzumaki Naruto!"

That admission drew a raised eyebrow from the man in question.

'_Just which of my techniques did he learn?' _Naruto wondered.

"Here I go!" Arashi yelled. "Sexy technique!"

A poof of smoke appeared and Naruto's mind went into overdrive trying to determine how Arashi could have learned _that _particular technique before shutting down as the smoke cleared and he saw what it revealed. In the place of the four-foot-ten, dark haired _boy _now stood a five-foot-four, pink haired _woman_.

Although the trademark wisps of smoke produced by the technique preserved _her_ modesty, they revealed enough to show, to Naruto anyway, that this was not Sakura he was seeing before him, which he was somewhat expecting, but something much better.

Due to being related, using the sexy technique, which turned a male into what they would ideally look like as an adult female, meant Arashi's transformed state bore a close resemblance to not only his sisters, but also his mother. A small part of Naruto knew that and had begun to make comparisons between the two.

While Sakura kept her pink hair short and fixed up, the _woman_ before him had a mane that was wild and loose, reminding Naruto of his own mother's hair, but ended at the small of _her_ back. While Sakura's skin was pale compared to his own, the skin of the _woman _beforehimwas the colour of peaches, which seemed oddly appropriate. _She_ even did a brief spin, showing to Naruto, who was watching for it, that _she_ had Sakura's best _assets_ as well. _Her_ only flaw, in Naruto's opinion, was that _she_ did not have Sakura's pretty green eyes, but rather the charcoal coloured eyes of an Uchiha.

After he returned from his training trip with Jiraiya and they saw each other for the first time, Sakura asked Naruto if she looked more womanly. He told her she had not changed at all, which he later realized was a mistake. Even if she was not as sexy as Ino, or hot as Hinata, Naruto always felt she was cute, and had become a beautiful woman in his eyes. Seeing this new _woman_ before him, who possessed similarities to Sakura, he definitely thought _she_ was sexy, hot and beautiful. If a woman like that ever asked him if she looked womanly, Naruto would know the correct way to answer her.

While Naruto's mind was attempting to restart upon seeing its vision of perfection, Arashi, still unaware of his presence, continued the so called fight.

"So boys, what do you think?" He asked in his transformed state while striking a pose.

"Eww!" One boy cried out.

"Girls are gross." Another said.

"Ugh, now you have cooties!" The third said.

As was usual with Arashi's luck, the boys he tried the sexy technique against were the few who would be unaffected by it, or at least not affected in the intended manner. Instead of fainting from shock or embarrassment, although they may have felt the latter in regards to his display, Arashi's chosen opponents left the field in disgust, leaving him to cancel the technique. The young Uchiha still considered it a win for him, as his opponents chose to leave rather than fight.

Suika, among those having seen her older brother's performance, made herself known to Arashi at last.

"Idiot."

Having said her piece, she then took an ice pop out of nowhere and once more faded into the background.

As for Momo, who's Arashi's transformed state bore a closer resemblance to than Suika, like usual, she was torn between paying attention to her surroundings and paying attention to Naruto. Thus, she was the only one to notice his reaction to her brother's use of his technique.

'_I might look like that when I'm older. This means Naruto would find me attractive.' _Momo thought.

'_Naruto thinks we're hot! Hell yeah, for once our foolish little brother didn't screw up!' _Inner Momo added while waving a pair of victory fans, one with the Uchiha crest and another with the Uzumaki spiral.

While Momo was eagerly looking forward to the day she reached her physical maturity, which was only a few years away, Arashi had cancelled his transformation and having heard his younger sister's voice admonishing him, made his way over to his siblings and Naruto, who had just begun to snap out of his trance. The crowd had dispersed as well, leaving them all by themselves.

"Hey did you guys see me?" Arashi asked his siblings, who had mixed reactions to his performance.

"I thought it was great!" Shippo said in an affirmative tone.

"I still think you're an idiot." Suika said, as she continued to enjoy her ice pop.

Momo did not answer, since while she would have normally agreed with Suika, Naruto's reaction to the technique almost made her wish to learn it as well.

"Those seniors were too afraid to fight me! I knew that technique was going to be great when I found a record of it." Arashi said in a proud tone as he remembered the day he found it and the efforts involved. "Say, where's mom and dad?"

"It's their anniversary, so they're spending the day alone together. Naruto and I will be taking care of all of you for the day." Momo explained in her best authoritative voice, not that it had much effect on her siblings.

"He is? Where is he then?" Arashi asked, wanting to see his hero again.

Holding back another idiot comment, Suika just pointed behind them to where Naruto stood, slowly coming out of his trance.

In Arashi's defence, Naruto had mastered the use of the art of hiding in plain sight and anyone he had not directly interacted with would be aware of his presence. As he had been silent the whole time, he could have been wearing a clown suit covered in bells and no one he did not want to notice him would have done so. As Naruto's presence had been pointed out by Suika, Arashi finally noticed him.

"Big brother Naruto, did you see me? I was great, wasn't I?" Arashi asked his hero.

Once more taken aback by the form of address, Naruto did not take the time to respond in a proper manner.

"Yeah, it was great." He answered in an honest tone, although he was not exactly referring to Arashi's performance.

Arashi beamed at the praise while Momo blushed a bit before catching Suika giving her a sly grin, causing her to huff and look away.

"But it's not a technique you should be using if you want to be taken seriously." Naruto continued in a stern voice, having finally _temporarily_ suppressed his previous thoughts. "I only invented that technique so I could be noticed, which you already are. You have no need of that technique; you are already a capable shinobi without it."

"You really think so?" Arashi asked, to which Naruto nodded in response. "Ha, I knew I was great! Well, come on, let's get going!" He continued before running off, leaving Naruto to sigh in a mix of relief and exasperation.

'_It's not praise from who he needed it from, and he still needs more help, but it's a start.' _Naruto thought of Momo's younger brother as they, along with Suika and Shippo, raced after Arashi.

* * *

Now that most of Momo's siblings had been picked up, all that remained was her youngest sister and brother, Hikari and Fuyuki. Since they were in the care of their godmothers in the former Uchiha district, it was better to leave them for last.

The first to be picked up was Fuyuki. Nothing unusual happened, but Naruto did note that his godmother was a nurse who worked part-time with his and Momo's mother in the local clinic. He also did not have a problem with the young boy's choice in clothing, as it brought up fond, yet painful, memories of his team's first C-rank mission.

Meeting Hikari's godmother was also an interesting experience. She was named Misa and appeared to not only have dyed her hair blonde but also wore blue eye contacts, making her look like similar to Naruto. Hikari, who Naruto had only briefly met, was acting just as strange, or what could possibly be normal for her. She was carrying a ball with a cartographical design making it resemble a globe and if anyone took it from her, she defended herself with a toy axe she carried with her.

Once she joined them, the group consisting of Naruto and the Uchiha siblings began to make their way home as a group. Suddenly, Arashi and Shippo grabbed onto their youngest brother and ran on ahead, much to Fuyuki's distress, leaving Naruto and Momo to each emit a weary sigh.

"It's times like this when I turn to cool sweets for comfort." Suika said for Naruto and Momo's benefit. "Ice pop?" She asked, holding up a selection to them.

Naruto chose a cherry flavoured ice pop and Momo picked an orange one, neither noticing Suika grinning at their choices. Although, based on what she read in her psychology books, Naruto picking a peach flavoured ice pop, if there was one, would have deeper implications.

"Excellent choices. I prefer grape myself." Suika said as Naruto and Momo began to enjoy their frozen treats.

Deciding that they needed to have some alone time, Suika took Hikari by the hand and walked on ahead, leaving Naruto and Momo to pick up the rear. After a short, but comfortable silence, Naruto spoke up.

"Hey Momo, there's something I've been wondering." He said in between licks. "I can tell your brothers are named after weather conditions, and you and Suika are named after fruits like other girls from the Haruno side of your family, so why doesn't Hikari fit the pattern?"

"She was named after Mrs. Misa's husband, Raito, who worked with father in the police force. He died while investigating a serial killer before he and Mrs. Misa could have any children, so she volunteered to be a surrogate mother for my parents. Mother and father decided to name their next child after him to honour his memory. Since they had a girl, instead of Raito, they used Hikari, as both mean light."

Naruto nodded along with Momo's explanation as he finished the ice pop Suika gave him.

'_I haven't shared an ice pop with anyone since Iruka comforted me over grandpa Jiraiya's death.' _He thought once he was done. _'It was nice. We should do this more often.'_

Now walking in a comfortable silence, Naruto and Momo soon caught up to her wayward siblings and escorted them the rest of the way to their home.

* * *

Continuing the theme of revisiting the places that held fond memories for them, Sakura and Sasuke were taking in an afternoon matinee at their favourite theatre. It was not too crowded at this time of day, so they found a nice spot in the back where they enjoyed their privacy more than the film itself, just like they did years ago.

* * *

While their parents were supposedly watching a movie, Momo's siblings were off each off doing their own things at home. Arashi was studying, as he decided to put off planning a new prank for the time being. Suika was alone in her room, working on mediation exercises. Shippo was looking through his textbooks for chakra control exercises, as the Rasengan required the ability to control a vast quantity of chakra. Hikari dragged Fuyuki away to have a tea party with her stuffed animals, which the boy did not seem to mind participating in.

As for Naruto and Momo, they were back on the same couch they had collapsed onto earlier. Once her siblings went their own ways, he headed straight to said couch and sat back in it, letting out a deep sigh. While Naruto had put up a happy face, Momo could tell something was troubling him.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"Arashi and Shippo both called me "big brother Naruto" earlier, something no one's called me in years. It…," he explained before pausing to gather his thoughts. "It brought back some memories, pleasant and otherwise of my old life, the one I lost."

At that point, Momo moved over to sit next to Naruto and wrapped an arm around him in comfort like he frequently did for her.

"There were mainly two people who used to see me as a big brother. One was Konohamaru, the Third Hokage's grandson, but he still doesn't like being thought of as only that. He's a jonin now, and married to his old team-mate Moegi with two kids of their own, with more probably on the way."

Naruto did not begrudge his once self proclaimed rival for the title of Hokage for finding happiness with his female team-mate, as he saw more of Sakura and Sasuke in them than he did himself and Sakura. He actually felt he had more in common with Udon, who as it turned out, caught the eye of Hyuuga Hanabi and married into her clan.

"The other was Inari, the grandson of the bridge builder who I guarded along with your parents on our first C-rank mission. He's a carpenter like his grandfather, also married with kids of his own and considered to be widely respected in his country. So he's doing great too."

Naruto let out another sigh at that point as he began to slouch. Momo responded by attempting to snuggle into him as much as she could while still keeping an arm around him. Naruto did not object, slowly moved an arm of his around her as well as a sad smile began to form on his face.

"From my perspective, it was only a few years ago that they were both teenagers like me, just a bit younger. Now they're both adults with families and lives of their own, just like everyone else I knew, or at least those who are still around."

Naruto's fragile mask was breaking, but Momo held on tight, happy that she was the one he felt he comfortable enough with to let himself go.

"It's not just that though. Everyone I used to know has a new life now that I no longer have much of a place with, but what about those who lost their lives, the ones I'll never get to see again? I never got to say good-bye to Shizune, who was like an older sister to me, or be there for grandma Tsunade so she wouldn't feel all alone and close herself off. I never had another rematch with Kiba or Neji, or apologize to Shino for not recognizing him that one time."

"You can't blame yourself for that." Momo interjected. "They are all shinobi; they knew the risks of the trade and died in the line of duty. You can't hold yourself responsible for everyone."

"I know that, I just miss them, that's all."

Naruto was leaning forward now, cradling his head in his hands. Momo took that moment to gently rub his back, hoping it would soothe a bit of his pain.

"Thanks Momo, I needed that." Naruto said after a few minutes, leaning back against the couch and against Momo once more. "It's more than just not being there to support everyone through the bad times. I wasn't there for the good times either." He continued, trying not to let his frustration overcome him in front of Momo. "I've just missed out on so much; it makes me feel like I'm not as close to everyone as I once was. Like I said, almost everyone I knew has settled down and started a family of my own, and what do I have?"

"You have me." Momo said without a moment's hesitation.

Upon hearing her admission, Naruto just turned at looked at Momo, maintaining a neutral visage, causing her to repress the urge to blush and look away or faint like a shrinking violet. After a moment though, Naruto began to relax and smiled at her.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I really do feel like I'm closer to you than anyone else, even those from my old life. I guess I need to stop feeling sorry about what I've lost and enjoy what I have now. Konohamaru and Inari may not need or even see me as an older brother anymore, but I have two new little brothers who look up to me now that I can teach all my cool ninjutsu to."

Momo giggled at that, happy to see Naruto feeling better and also knowing that he would not teach her little brothers any "cool ninjutsu" he would not have already taught her.

"Even better, I have the best friend I've ever had right here." Naruto said, continuing his earlier statement. "Thanks for everything, Momo."

With that, Naruto leaned in and pulled her into a proper hug, holding her tightly to him as he let go of his worries.

"Well, come on! We still have time before we need to make dinner and I've got a lot of lost time to make up on. Let's go!" Naruto called out to Momo as he got up and jumped away, leaving her utterly confused.

"Naruto! You don't tell a girl she's your best friend, hug her and then run off! Get back here!" Momo yelled back as she ran off after him, wondering just when he would someday see her as more than a friend.

* * *

The Uchiha patriarch and matriarch were now relaxing at a private table in the restaurant in which they spent their first date. They had a picture of them take back then, which Sakura was now admiring.

"We were so young back then." She commented as she gazed at the photograph. "It's like looking at a completely different couple."

Sakura's hair was as pink as ever, but it was now in a pixie cut to save on time spent maintaining it. As it turned out, Sasuke really did prefer longer hair, but he grew to love his wife more than her tresses. As for the man himself, his hair was shorter too, but thankfully it had not yet begun to thin. It had started turning gray a bit prematurely, presumable from the stress of being the chief of police and raising six children, but it only helped to make him look more distinguished. Other than a looking a bit more mature, they had not changed much at all, which left Sasuke confused by his wife's statement.

"It's not our physical appearance that's changed so much, although it has a bit." Sakura said, beginning to clarify her statement. "When I look at this photo, I see a couple of teenagers with their whole lives ahead of them, filled with hopes and dreams; a young medic who could become the greatest healer of her generation and a young man out to redeem his family name. When I look at us now, I see two adults who have those dreams, the big family, the careers, and the happiness it has given them; a woman who runs her own family clinic and a man who reformed his family's police force and brought safety to his village." She explained before sighing. "Oh, I suppose it's all silly and too hard to explain."

"No, it's fine, I understand. You don't need to use a lot of words to say what you mean, I know what you meant." Sasuke replied. "We were young and full of potential back then but nervous about whether we could succeed, which we did and now all the happier for it."

Sakura smirked at hearing her husband's words, finding humour in them as she knew quite well that she could interpret the smallest statement he made to be worth a thousand words.

"Hn."

"Hn too."

* * *

Unlike the refined environment of the restaurant where their parents were enjoying their anniversary dinner, the Uchiha household was currently in a state of chaos. Naruto and Momo had warmed up the pre-made dinner and served it to their siblings. While both had experience commanding their fellow shinobi, neither had yet to develop the commanding presence to keep children in line that came from years of experience being a teacher or parent.

Arashi lasted thirty seconds before starting a food fight with Shippo.

Suika had somehow commandeered all the dessert for herself.

Hikari grabbed every bit of inarizushi and tried to eat it all before anyone else could, causing her to nearly choke.

Fuyuki just sat quietly and tried to eat his meal in peace with a calm grace, but broke down crying when an errant bit of thrown food landed on his kimono, leaving a stain.

Naruto just looked at Momo and sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

"We're not yet ready cut out for raising kids."

To her credit, Momo just nodded in reply.

"It's your turn to order the take-out from Ichiraku."

* * *

The main course of Sakura and Sasuke's anniversary dinner was now over. Before they started on dessert, they decided to exchange gifts. Sasuke got his wife a set of ivory hair combs, ivory being the traditional fourteenth anniversary present.

Sakura smiled fondly at the gift, memories of when she had long hair and spent many an hour on its maintenance because she thought Sasuke liked girls with long hair instead of training to fulfill her potential as a shinobi. While she felt she had matured since then, gifts like this every now and then from her husband showed he thought of her as a woman as much as he did a shinobi, and that she did not have to choose between the two.

Being a more modern woman, Sakura gave her husband a set of specially made iron kunai, iron being the modern fourteenth anniversary present. What made these kunai special was the engravings on them depicting the symbol of the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke liked them very much, as while the quality of the iron limited them to ceremonial purposes, he would be able to use them for that purpose much more than he would use an expensive set of high quality kunai that would likely be thrown once in the heat of battle, something he did not engage in as much due to his duties as chief of police, and lost afterwards.

* * *

The chaos from their earlier meal was now gone and Momo's siblings had retired to their rooms to rest off the excitement. Naruto was quite glad for that.

"Are all your family's meals like that?" He asked Momo, who shook her head.

"No, mother and father would never let any of them act like that, but they have had years to learn how to keep them in control." She replied, feeling a bit indignant at the lack of respect they showed her and Naruto.

"Well, going to bed without a meal would seem like a good punishment for the way Arashi and Shippo acted, but after my childhood, I would never deprive a child of food. A packet of instant ramen was good enough to get me by, so it should be good for them too." Naruto said, causing Momo to nod this time.

"That's true. I wasn't expecting Suika to eat all the dessert, but father doesn't like sweets so we rarely have any. I suppose the stomach-ache she'll have would be worth it."

"Yeah. Good thing you knew what to do when someone's choking. Still, I didn't think a little girl like Hikari could eat so fast, or so much."

"Poor Fuyuki though, that was his favourite kimono. At least it'll wash out, but I don't think he was expecting a food fight when he wore it to dinner."

Naruto let out a weary laugh at that point.

'_I hope it'll be easier by the time I'm a parent.'_

* * *

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

Naruto was now looking upon his children with a happy smile on his face.

"I know you both are very well behaved and would not act like your aunts and uncles did for a babysitter, right?" He asked them.

"Of course!" Himeko said.

"We'll be good!" Hayao added.

Naruto could have sworn that, for an instant, he saw a halo and a pair of wings appear on the both of them as they grinned at him. He kept smiling, his fox-like nature keeping him from getting mad at them for doing what would come naturally for them, especially considering their heritages; being a menace.

'_I will never be able to get a steady babysitter for them.'_

"All right, where was I?" Naruto wondered aloud. "Oh yeah, dessert. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't read this part to you."

"Why not?" Himeko asked.

"Is it more mushy stuff?" Hayao asked as well.

"It is, nothing with me or your mother though. That won't happen until the end of the next chapter. This is about your grandparents."

Naruto's children exchanged a glance as he wondered what they were thinking. He suspected that Hayao did not mind the so called "mushy parts", as he enjoyed hearing how much his parents and grandparents cared for each other as much as he liked the action and humour, which Himeko did not mind at all.

"Himeko would probably like to hear it, so I guess I could handle hearing about grandma Sakura and grandpa Sasuke smooching." Hayao said, confirming what Naruto was thinking by making it seem he was okay with hearing it for his sister's sake.

"Alright, well, it happened like this…" Naruto said, still smiling at his son's attempts to look disinterested as he continued his story.

* * *

_Thirteen years ago, Hidden Leaf Village…_

Their dessert course had now arrived, but only Sakura was having any. She felt uncomfortable about it though, and said as much.

"Are you sure you're fine not having any dessert?" She asked Sasuke. "I know you don't like sweets but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"It's okay. Besides, I know how I can enjoy this."

Sasuke then took the dessert spoon, gathered up some of the ice cream covered fruits, and offered it to Sakura. Getting the idea, Sakura opened wide and allowed Sasuke to spoon-feed her. He even surprised her by licking off the spoon after her first mouthful.

"That was nice, but I want more." Sasuke said before moving by Sakura's side.

He then took his wife in his arms and began to kiss her with much passion. Sasuke never showed much in public as he was saving it for moments like this.

"Oh, Sasuke..." Sakura managed to say once they broke contact.

Her heart was racing and Sakura was breathing hard from their intimacy. It was heightened further when Sasuke gathered another portion of her dessert.

"If you're going to kiss me like that after every spoonful, I might not be able to take it." Sakura said.

"Good thing you're a medic than, isn't it?" Sasuke asked, serving his wife another mouthful.

Sakura was split between enjoying her dessert, the intimate moment with her husband, and keeping calm. Who knew Sasuke could still get her worked up after fourteen years of marriage? One thing was for sure, she would get him back later, putting her training as a medic and extensive knowledge of the human body to good use making him feel as she did now.

* * *

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

"Eww, gross!" Hayao declared, regretting his decision already.

"I liked it, I don't see grandma and grandpa like that much." Himeko said.

Naruto just laughed at his kids, who had brought him so much needed joy.

'_Maybe I should skip the part in the next chapter about how much I like their mother's butt?' _He thought, trying not to think just how much he liked said feature of his wife when he was supposed to be watching his kids. _'Nah, I'll just do what I've been doing all along and tell them an edited version.'_

"Okay, the chapter's almost over now, so let's continue." Naruto said as he did just that.

* * *

_Thirteen years ago, Uchiha Household…_

At last, Momo's siblings had now been put to bed. Exhausted from the day's ordeals, she and Naruto all but collapsed onto their couch in the living room, on opposite ends of each other. Slowly though, Momo inched her way across the gap between her and the object of her affections. Just as she was about to make contact with him, a noise startled them.

"We're home." Sakura called out, but not too loud as it was past her children's bedtime.

'_Nooooooooooo! I was so close!' _Inner Momo thought dejectedly. _'I finally got to be alone with Naruto, and this happens._' She continued to think as Naruto filled her parents in on the events of the day. _'I guess it's still too early for something like that. I just hope I'll know when the time is right.'_

* * *

Naruto and Momo were now standing on her front porch to say goodbye for the night. Both had mixed feelings about how the day had went.

"Goodnight Momo. I'll see you again when I have time, but my duties will be picking up soon. I won't become Hokage just by sitting around and wishing for it to happen."

"I understand. Goodnight Naruto." Momo replied in a slightly solemn tone.

'_He'll be too busy from now taking missions in preparation for when he becomes Hokage to spend anytime with me.' _Momo thought, worried she might not see him again.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You're my friend and I'm not going to forget about you." Naruto said to comfort Momo, as he had developed a good sense of when she was in distress.

Like he usually did when that happened, Naruto leaned down and pulled Momo into an embrace, hugging her closely. The gesture always seemed to make them both feel better. Naruto had probably hugged Momo more times than he had been hugged in his entire life. It always made him wonder if the same was true for her, or there was something deeper to it.

Naruto then pulled away, but as he did so, he hesitated for just a moment, as if he was trying to make an important decision. Rather than pull away completely, he brought his lips to Momo's forehead and left another chaste kiss there before finally stepping back.

"Goodbye Momo. I'll see you again someday, that's a promise."

Naruto then turned around and walked away, leaving Momo alone to her thoughts.

'_Yes! Victory! We're one step closer to making him ours!'_

Rather, in her case, Naruto was leaving her to the thoughts of Inner Momo. Despite what she felt to be numerous failures during the day, it ended in complete success. Momo agreed with the mysterious voice in her head, it had been a good day. She and Naruto may not have one again for some time, so until then, while he was training to become Hokage, she would continue to become as strong as she could too.

As for Naruto, he was making his way home, slowly though, to collect his thoughts. Images of a young woman with long pink hair and charcoal eyes with skin the colour of peaches raced through his mind. He and the woman enjoyed a large bowl of ramen she had made just for them, talked about what flowers to plant in their gardens, played with a blond haired boy and pink haired girl who had to be their children, then retired to their bedroom for the night to engage in matters of an adult nature.

The woman's face was clearly recognisable to Naruto and while his mind was concerned that what he was thinking was _wrong_, his heart was trying to tell him it felt _right_. While he may have missed out on starting a family with Sakura, he had been given a chance to become a part of the family she had with Sasuke and someday, when he was ready, to start one of his own as well with someone who he connected to in a way he never did with his pink-haired team-mate. All Naruto had to do was be patient for just a little longer, and all his dreams would come true in a way he never would have expected them to do so.

The future had never looked brighter to Naruto. The darkness of his past and the lingering dark feelings were long gone, replaced by hope for a better tomorrow and the happiness it would bring. For a moment, he remembered the day he agreed to be Sasuke's best man when his team-mate married the woman Naruto thought he loved. Had he refused the offer and let the darkness consume him, things may not have worked out at all.

For some, their dreams come true. Others have to accept that while their dream may not have happened as perfectly as they would have liked, they can still be happy if they are willing to accept it, or move on and risk their dreams never coming true at all. Then there are those who think they missed out on them, only to find a happier ending.

For Naruto, while he had yet to accomplish his dream, he knew it would happen someday, and when he did, he would not only have the pink-haired girl of his dreams by his side, he would have people who considered him family with him as well.

* * *

_Present Day, Uzumaki household__…_

"That was a special day for me and your mother. It was the day I realized she was more than just the most unexpected friend I could make, she was someone who would one day become the woman of my dreams."

While telling that part of the story, Naruto appeared to have developed a far off gaze and his children could tell he was thinking of their mother.

"It was more than just her great looks. We had a lot in common, she was a good cook and would only get better with experience and the way she handled her younger siblings showed she would be a wonderful mother someday as well, which she is. The most important thing though is that we were friends, and I can't think of a happier ending than two best friends love with each other."

Himeko was greatly enjoying the tale now, but Hayao looked like he was sick of the mushy parts again. He did _not _like hearing about his grandparents on a date, but did not mind hearing how much his dad loved his mom, although he would prefer if they not display said affection in front of him.

"The next few years of our lives were much harder." Naruto said as he continued his story. "Your mother was a chunin and someone I considered a friend, but she was still a _girl_ to me, and for the first time in years, I was thinking of life with a pink-haired _woman_.

"To that end, I started to distance myself from your mother for a time as I began focusing on working towards becoming Hokage while your mother was studying medicine and working towards being promoted to jonin. It wasn't always easy, but I learned there were still people who thought of me as family to them and that I'd have a family of my own someday to look forward to." He finished as two of the most important people in his life learned just how much their father loved them.

In an instant, Hayao and Himeko moved from in front of their father to his sides as they hugged him tightly. Naruto hugged them back, happy knowing that while it took him longer than most, he found happiness. For him, the wait was worth it.

After several moments continuing with their hug, Naruto pulled his children into his lap and opened the book about how he and their mother got together so he could read it to them once more while they tried to follow along.

"This next part is important to me, as it was an old dream of mine came true, and one I once thought lost seemed closer than ever…"

* * *

Author's note: As a further clarification on the name change for Naruto and Momo's children, the original names for those two were taken from a random source and had no special meaning. The new names do, and once the origin for their choices are revealed, they should make a lot of sense.

Suika's treat of choice was originally intended to be a lollipop, as a reference to one of the inspirations for her character, but that lead to unfortunate implications. It was then changed to Popsicle (a registered trademark as it turns out) and then finally, ice pop.

I'm sorry if it seems like I went on a bit of an author tract near the end, but sometimes anvils need to be dropped. In a sea of angst, bashing, harems and yaoi, I think a nice, happy fic where Naruto is happy for Sakura and Sasuke and sees them as the family he never had is a refreshing change.

Once more, I'd like to remind readers that there are illustrations of Momo available and the links are at the end of my profile.


	17. Just Friends, or Something More?

Piece of the Puzzle

Chapter 17: Just Friends, or Something More?

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

"Like I said, I've always had two dreams I wanted to fulfill." Naruto explained to his children. "One dream I shouted to everyone who would listen; that someday I would be the Hokage. The day your mother and I spent watching her siblings just reminded me that while others have fulfilled their dreams, mind had yet to come true.

"That wouldn't happen by just wishing they would; I had to make them come true. I decided to make a sacrifice and devote myself completely to fulfilling my dream of becoming Hokage, since the other no longer seemed to be a possibility. Little did I know that it would come true in a matter of time, as long as I was willing to let it…"

* * *

_Ten years ago, Hidden Leaf Village…_

The date was April fifteenth, and it would be a day Momo would remember for quite some time. After nearly three years of hard work, she had earned her promotion to the rank of jonin and was now one step closer to her dream of following in the footsteps of her role model and paternal grandmother, Uchiha Mikoto.

Momo looked up to her grandmother not only for being a respected matriarch, but also for being a kunoichi who served her village admirably as a skilled jonin before retiring from active duty to have a family.

Momo's parents were naturally quite proud of her, as Sakura's duties at the hospital and her later decision to start a family early kept her from attaining the rank of jonin. Despite his strength and also training under one of the Legendary Three Ninja, Sasuke's poor choices in life kept him from earning the rank as young as his daughter did as well. While he was eventually promoted to jonin, it was only after years of hard work and proving his loyalty to the Hidden Leaf Village.

Kakashi himself was there as well to give his former students' daughter her promotion. There was a slight conflict of interest, but Momo's record proved that she deserved the promotion. It was also one of his final acts as Hokage, as in a matter of days he would pass on the title to Naruto, who also had finally proven he was worthy of the highest position of power in the village.

He was only the one person missing from what was otherwise a very happy day for Momo. Naruto, the man who considered her a friend and who she had been crushing on since they first met, was not there to celebrate with them. He too had been working hard towards his own dream of becoming Hokage and had little time to spend with her, especially considering how little free time she had as well.

Aside from many C-rank missions and the occasional B-rank mission with her team, Momo was a part-time instructor at the academy during her downtime between missions.

If you were to ask Momo, she would say she was quite a popular teacher, but the truth was she was not as popular among the boys at the academy as her griping would lead one to believe. Momo did have a few admirers among the males, but like Naruto or Lee, they were highly persistent rather than strong in numbers like her father's admirers had been. Most boys of that age were just not into girls yet.

As for why Momo would want to assist in teaching at the academy, she thought of it as a good way to learn how to deal with children and believed the teaching experience would be useful should she decide to take on a genin team at some point.

Although it was more common for chunin to oversee teams so jonin could take more A-rank missions, several still took on a genin team as a method of passing on what they had learned to a new generation and giving something back to the village.

Most jonin these days though usually took on a single apprentice, usually a chunin who had proved themselves to be worthy of an apprenticeship. Momo felt honoured that she was one of the few who had been taught by Naruto, even if only for a month, as she was now part of a teaching line that included her parents and several Hokage.

Thinking of her lineage reminded Momo that Naruto would officially be recognized as the Seventh Hokage in a ceremony soon. Her family would definitely be there to support him, or at least her parents would be and Momo would be sure to join them.

It would also give Momo an opportunity to see Naruto again as it would be the first chance they would have seen each other for an extended amount of time since her parents' anniversary almost three years ago. She would definitely use that time to impress Naruto with how she had improved, and hoped he would see that she was becoming a strong, young woman instead of the little girl he remembered.

Momo's smile over becoming a jonin turned to a frown though, as she could not put the thoughts of Naruto out of her head.

She knew Naruto considered her to be his best friend, but she had hardly spoken to him in nearly three years. The emotional part of Momo felt resentful that Naruto felt so strongly for her but did not make time to see her. The thought that he was avoiding her never crossed her mind, as she could see no reason why he would.

The rational part of her mind however, knew that rising in rank was what both wanted to do and would require an immense effort to achieve. It would have been selfish of her to want Naruto to spend time with her when he could be working toward accomplishing his lifelong dream.

Momo consoled herself in the belief that Naruto felt the same way; she had her own goal to achieve and she needed to do it on her own to prove that she earned it of her own volition and that having Naruto help her would only hold the both of them back.

Naruto would be the Seventh Hokage in less than a week and he did not have time to train the kunoichi who would someday stand by his side. Any woman who desired to become the future Mrs. Uzumaki Naruto would have to step up and fight to prove she was worthy to be his equal.

Naruto gave her a month of his time to build upon the foundation for her skills, so Momo would repay him for his initial investment by expanding upon what she had learned from him in order to become Mrs. Uzumaki Momo.

Speaking of what he had taught her, Naruto once promised her that he would teach her the shadow clone technique once she was promoted to jonin. Momo knew Naruto never broke a promise, so while it was slightly underhanded, she had a way of getting to see him again and would make the most of it. If she was lucky, she would have many more afterwards.

* * *

_Five days later…_

Gazing down at the cheering crowd below him from the top of the administration building, Naruto was elated that his childhood dream had come true. He was now the Seventh Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. Kakashi, now wearing a formal kimono and an eye-patch to cover Obito's eye instead of his old forehead protector, passed on the robes and signature hat of the Hokage for Naruto wear.

The Sixth Hokage gave a simple speech before introducing his successor. Kakashi had never intended to become Hokage like his sensei, but felt he owed it to the man to hold on to the position until his son was ready. It was oddly fitting that Naruto would succeed both his father and his own sensei and become Hokage.

It was hard to tell who was happier with the changing of the guard. Naruto had finally accomplished a lifelong dream of his and was now beloved by the entire village that once hated him for something beyond his control. That was a part of his past that he felt better remained there and did not dwell on it nor did he bring it up during his own short speech, as he felt his actions would speak more than his words ever could.

Kakashi however, was able to see his former student and his own sensei's son surpass them both and was pleased the burden of leadership was now out of his hands and into those of someone who had both desired and earned the responsibility. Kakashi had no doubt that Naruto would be a great Hokage and the best yet.

Now, the outgoing Hokage could focus on catching up on his reading, something Kakashi looked forward to very much. That or writing some of his books now that he had the time, since Naruto was not inclined toward continuing to produce the works of Jiraiya that were not suitable reading material for a family.

There were many families present at this event though. While Tsunade, who Naruto had always thought of as a grandmother to him, and Karin and her children were his only living relations, and distant ones at that, there were many he felt were like family to him and they felt the same about him. That did not help to take away the sting of knowing that while he had become Hokage, he had yet to find true love and settle down like almost everyone he knew.

Among those present was Iruka, the first person to acknowledge Naruto with Ayame and their children. Konohamaru and Moegi with theirs, Sakura and Sasuke with all their brats, which included Momo, along with many others. Although Naruto seemed like he was keeping his distance from the Uchiha clan, he felt himself continually drawn back to his former team-mates and their children.

Whatever reasons Naruto had for wanting and failing to keep his distance did not matter to the Uchiha family. They considered him a part of their family, though the capacity in which he served that role differed from person to person.

Shippo and Arashi saw him as a big brother, the former loudly declaring he would become Hokage someday as well. Both Kakashi and Naruto seemed to support him, so Sasuke took it as a sign that Naruto's influence on him and his family changed them for the better, and owed him much for it.

Fuyuki loved to hear stories about Haku and the lessons his father and Naruto learned from the kind-hearted ice-user. They inspired Fuyuki to be an accomplished healer someday and be the successor to Tsunade his mother could not be.

While Fuyuki was still young, the slug tamer was impressed by him and remarked that Sakura and Sasuke's children would all go on to succeed in many areas their parents could not have. She began to document all of her accumulated knowledge to pass on as her legacy, the possible irony of leaving it all to an Uchiha not having escaped her.

Suika and Hikari acted differently towards Naruto. The older girl just smirked at him and asked him what was taking him so long. The blond thought she was referring to why he had not become Hokage sooner. The younger girl asked him many questions about politics; specifically regarding just who were the major leaders like the five Kage and the Daimyo of each nation. When Naruto asked her if she had any interest in politics, she just gave him a very creepy smile so he moved on.

Naruto had not yet spoken to Momo, leaving her as one of the few he had not exchanged any words with. Seeing as he was not interested in speaking with him, she had started to mingle with the friends of her parents and their children, who she was a few years older than.

Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who first grew tired of Naruto's actions and called him out for them.

"Naruto, I need to speak to you, preferably in private." Sasuke asked as he came up behind Naruto and whispered his request while the new Hokage was speaking to the former Team Ten.

"Huh, yeah sure. Can you wait in my office? I'll be there in a few minutes." Naruto whispered back.

Finishing up his discussion and politely excusing himself, additionally thankful that Shippo's latest attempt to ask out Himawari was providing a useful distraction, Naruto made his way to his new office to meet Sasuke.

His former team-mate was not sitting in the guest chair, or his own, to Naruto's relief. Instead, Sasuke was standing, his eyes on the door and he did not look too pleased.

"What was so important that you needed to speak to me in private?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he made his way to the desk and sat behind it, debating whether he needed to activate any security measures.

Sasuke remained standing where was, looking down on Naruto with a look of cold fury.

"Why have you been avoiding Momo?" He said outright, the hostility in his voice now clear to Naruto.

Seeing that Naruto had been stunned silent and was trying to come up with a response, Sasuke decided to continue where he left off.

"You have spoken to everyone here at least once except for Momo. Every time she has approached you either you find somewhere else to be or someone else to talk to." Sasuke said, holding back his anger as he spoke. "She's really hurt by how you keep ignoring her and if there is anything I can't stand, it's people who hurt my family. I don't care if you are the Hokage now, I won't let you continue to ignore her." Sasuke finished, giving Naruto his patented Uchiha death glare as he did so.

Naruto was still gathering his thoughts, but while reviewing his memories of earlier, he noticed he had been avoiding Momo, who he once felt happy to see. The times they had interacted were actually rather rare and Naruto had grown to appreciate them more because of that. Aside from some special events, they only briefly met for something like lunch at Ichiraku. For nearly three years though, they had hardly seen each other at all.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea..." Naruto began.

"I don't want to hear your apologies or your excuses." Sasuke interrupted. "The person you should be apologizing to is Momo. I can understand if you had decided to focus your time and efforts on becoming Hokage, but you distanced yourself from Momo at an important time in her development as a shinobi. She thinks of you as her closest friend as you are practically a part of our family, and family doesn't hurt each other like this." He said. "I'm not going to let you make the same mistakes I did."

The last sentence was spoken softly, but without any anger behind it Naruto could sense Sasuke's regret over deciding to leave the Hidden Leaf Village and his team behind to gain the power necessary to kill his brother. Sakura never stopped loving him though so maybe Momo would still want to be Naruto's friend.

"You are right." Naruto said, sighing. "I have been avoiding Momo. I could have found the time to see her, but for some reason I didn't. I go speak to her right away."

"Hmph, it's about time you got your priorities straight. That reminds me, Momo said you promised to teach her the shadow clone technique once she became a jonin. Since you missed seeing her get promoted, you can at least keep your promise to her."

"Of course, I never break a promise! I control the schedules now so I'll definitely find some time to make for Momo."

"Good." Sasuke said. "By the way, Momo's sixteenth birthday is coming up. If you do not attend it, she will _never_ forgive you."

Having succeeded in what he came to do, Sasuke then left the office. After clearing his head, Naruto followed him out and back to the party. It did not take him long to spot Momo's long, pink tresses standing out amongst the crowd of dark hair and the occasional blond or red-head.

Getting a glimpse of the nearly sixteen year-old Momo, Naruto was unsure how he had not noticed her sooner. It was possible that he had been subconsciously avoiding her, the telltale pink hair helping him do so. Yet he was still surprised by the sight of the newly promoted Momo.

Her hair appeared even longer now and was let down loosely instead of in a bun. Gone was her father's shirt and mother's battle skirt, a nice kimono taking their place for the special occasion. She still wore the goggles he had given her, which pleased Naruto that she wore them even while off duty. Overall, Momo looked a little more like a young woman and less like the girl he remembered her as.

That realization left Naruto saddened at the thought he had missed out so much on Momo's life and being a part of it. Neither would he be able to enjoy the time they could have spent together as equals. He would have liked to see what it would have been like to join Momo on a mission as part of a team rather than as her superior.

Sasuke was right though, Naruto needed to apologize and stop making mistakes. Instead of worrying about what could have been or always thinking about a future that will never happen, he needed to make the most of the present.

Moving closer to Momo, Naruto wondered just how she would react. If she was more like her mother, she would likely slap him hard or punch him halfway across the village. If Momo was more like her father, then she would give him a death glare and ignore him until he begged her for forgiveness.

It did not take long for Momo to notice Naruto approaching her. They locked gazes, hers expressionless, although it was hard to tell when she was wearing her goggles. Naruto was still not sure how she would react, and was caught off guard by what she did.

Momo pounced on him.

Not literally though. Her expression was not blank for long, as it lit up into a dazzling smile. She ran forward and embraced Naruto, happy to see him in person for the first time in nearly three years.

Too surprised to react, Naruto was momentarily stunned. After a moment he loosened up and wrapped his arms around her back. She was a bit taller now, only being a head shorter than him which let her rest her head on his shoulders.

Momo's reaction should not have surprised Naruto as much as it did. While in many ways she was a blend of her mother and father, but she was not more like one or the other. Momo was just herself, and to Naruto, she was and always would be his friend.

* * *

Later that night, long after he and Momo had re-connected and made plans to see each other again, Naruto took the time to think about his reasons for avoiding her. While he enjoyed having someone to eat his favourite food with and talk about their interest in plants, Naruto felt something missing from his interactions with Momo. He liked how they had the friendship he wished he had with her parents when he was young, but he was not a twelve year-old boy anymore and had different needs.

Ever since the day he and Momo babysat her younger siblings, Naruto had been envisioning having a family of his own. As when he was younger, he dreamed of having it with a pink-haired woman. Only to his surprise it was not Sakura, who he was over, but an older version of Momo who became his wife and the mother of his children.

Those thoughts tormented Naruto, as he was too old to be a friend to Momo and she was currently too young for him to have any romantic thoughts about her. He could no longer enjoy the time they spent together as the vision of an impossible future kept him from enjoying the present.

It would not be fair to Momo to compare her to his dream woman, so as soon as Naruto developed those thoughts he did what he thought was for the best; he started to avoid her. He knew she would be hurt, but believed that in time Momo would find a connection with someone her own age once they had reached her level of maturity. At least that was what Naruto once convinced himself would be for the best.

Now, it seemed that Momo's feelings had only strengthened in his absence and she gained the conviction needed to keep them strong and become a jonin. It was comforting to Naruto to know that she cared so much for him and was willing to forgive him so easily.

While their time apart gave them the time to succeed in their goals, Naruto was still repeating the mistakes made by Sasuke and even Tsunade, leaving him missing out on many happy memories. He had promised to Momo's father that he would not make the same mistakes he did. It would be difficult, but Naruto would treasure the friendship he had with Momo for all it was worth and make as many happy memories as he could while it lasted.

* * *

_Days later…_

While Momo had forgiven Naruto for their temporary estrangement, she had not yet let him off the hook. The newly promoted jonin monopolized his time to catch up on everything each had done since they last saw each other.

While Naruto did now regret his decision to estrange himself from Momo, he was still unsure how they could renew a friendship. Both of them would be moving on to new tasks. He was the Hokage now, and would spend most of his time dealing with the administration of the village. Momo would likely be taking more A-ranked missions which would keep her away from the village for weeks at a time.

There was also something else affecting Naruto's interaction with Momo. When they first met she was a young genin out to prove herself. Now, she was a fresh jonin who was much closer to Naruto's skill level, but still nowhere near a match for him.

Momo's new rank did give her additional clearances so Naruto found he could be more open with her regarding village secrets, though any concerning him were well known by now. Still, Naruto felt closer to Momo and thought he should be able to help her with her transition from chunin to jonin.

To start with, Naruto kept his promise and set aside a day to teach Momo the shadow clone technique once she had finished her own debriefings regarding what would be expected of her as a jonin while he settled into his new position.

Finding time off to teach her the technique was not a problem either. Naruto tricked Konohamaru into substituting for him, claiming that he would benefit from the experience once he became Hokage, even though Konohamaru had turned down many opportunities to succeed Kakashi. He still insisted that he would only follow Naruto in becoming Hokage.

At the present moment, while Konohamaru was doing his work for him as a few shadow clones kept an eye on everything, Naruto was with Momo in her family's training grounds, watching her as she successfully performed the shadow clone technique.

"I did it!" An excited but slightly sweaty from exertion Momo stated as there were now three of her standing together.

"Congratulations, I knew you could do it." Naruto said with pride, as Momo learned how to perform the technique faster than he did.

It was hard to judge that comparison though as Naruto could not clearly remember how he learned it in the first place; only that it was that night he learned about the Nine-Tailed Fox being sealed inside of him and Iruka showing he cared for Naruto as a person and did not hate him for his burden. Most of Naruto's memories from his younger years were almost forgotten, with the exception of some major events that helped shaped his growth.

The memories that were clearer to him were those of his time following his reawakening. He could remember the day he met Momo and her parents showed him around the village and how he marveled at how much had changed. He could remember the feeling of loss from learning of those who had passed away and the feeling of joy from meeting new people like Momo's siblings who never had a bad thought about him.

Now was not the time for Naruto to be thinking about that though; his time would be focused on Momo and showing her how to make full use of her new technique.

"For now, you should stick to the same tactics you use with your earth clones until you get used to the differences between them." Naruto said to an eager to learn Momo. "Keep in mind they aren't very durable and take a lot of chakra to create. I find they're better used as scouts or for testing an opponent's strength without directly fighting them."

Momo nodded along with Naruto's explanation, and even took notes. For a brief moment, he was reminded of how Lee used to write down anything Guy said and wondered what any children the Green Beast and Momo's mother had would be like. It was an amusing but ridiculous thought, as Naruto knew Momo's mother was meant to be with Momo's father; how else would Momo exist otherwise?

Besides, Naruto had once come to believe Lee and Ino would become a couple, expecting them to bond over how their crushes had become a couple with their rivals. It sort of made sense, but the reality of what happened reminded Naruto that he really knew almost nothing of relationships. All he knew that the best he had seen were his and Momo's parents and wished he could someday find true love like they did.

Looking down at Momo, who was ready to hear more, Naruto chastised himself for letting his thoughts slip away and tried to keep his focus on his present task.

"Since you don't have as much chakra as I do, I'd keep the number of shadow clones you make to a minimum as well. Three is a good number; any more than that is a waste since most of the time they either get in each others way or don't have anything to do."

Momo wrote that down too and Naruto could just see her plotting in her head all the ways she could use the technique to its fullest.

"For training I think you should make as many as you feel comfortable with, but don't overdo it. I can't always be there to carry you back home, although I'll try to be there whenever I can."

That got a blush out of Momo and Naruto wondered if she had been exhausting herself on purpose so he would have to carry her, but dismissed the idea since she would not be conscious to enjoy the experience.

"We should have a spar once you feel rested enough so you can try the shadow clone technique in combat, but for now I'll answer any questions you have."

The grin on Momo's face reminded Naruto of her mother; she was about to grill him on everything he knew about the shadow clone technique. It was a good thing Sakura decided to learn medicine instead of interrogation techniques. He just knew this was going to take a while...

* * *

After relentlessly interrogating him on everything he knew about the shadow clone technique, which was mainly comprised on his own experiences in using it, Naruto and Momo had lunch where they chatted about what each had done over the last two and a half years.

The most amusing part was where Momo gave a rather unladylike burp during her meal, blushed and quietly excused herself. Naruto thought it was funny and laughed, relieved that Momo took it in good humour.

It was something that neither of her parents would have done on purpose. Her father would refuse to admit it happened while her mother would have reacted similarly, but would have also threatened physical violence on anyone to keep them from speaking of it ever again.

Eventually their break time was over. It was now time for Naruto to learn just how much progress Momo had made since he trained her for the chunin exams. They began with their usual stretches and warm-ups which led to a taijutsu only spar.

While Momo's taijutsu was still a weak area for her compared to her other skills, it had improved greatly with many strong kicks added to her methods of attack. Since she was unable to use Tsunade's super strength technique, Momo had developed her own form of hard-hitting attack, focusing earth chakra into elementally conductive boots for a devastating kick.

Naruto himself had purposely been on the receiving end of one such kick to gauge Momo's strength since his shadow clones dispelled instantly upon being hit, thus were unable to pass on any useful information. After that, Naruto had been dodging all of Momo's attacks, much to her frustration.

Naruto had the feeling Momo experienced much difficulty in finding a suitable sparring partner, which was something he could relate to. Based on her style, it was most likely that she had been practicing with her earth clones.

Thoughts of setting aside more time to spar against Momo were then put aside as almost as soon as Naruto began to think of Momo's earth clones, she threw a smoke bomb to the ground and summoned half a dozen shadow clones. She was apparently eager to move on and try out her new technique.

Naruto kept his face neutral while wondering what she was planning. Momo's specialty was illusions, so she had most likely concealed herself with an invisibility illusion while moving into a vantage point where she could observe the fight; most likely the surrounding treetops.

At first Naruto thought Momo would use a similar tactic to the one he used while training her for the chunin exams; nine shadow clones in a three layer circular pattern. Instead, She settled for two; one front line and a support line.

It was a good tactic for Naruto to use but riskier for Momo. She could not afford the extra layer of support he could. Still, she needed the practice and it was a good test of her limits. With three of her shadow clones circling close by him and three more further out, all ready to attack, Naruto decided to see just what would be Momo's limit and made the first move.

Since Momo had grown fond of kicks, Naruto opted for punching and sent a right hook at the nearest shadow clone, which was running clockwise to him and took the hit in its gut.

Normally that would have been enough to dispel a shadow clone, but it was fine while Naruto felt like he had just punched a brick wall. That was when he realized that the front line consisted of _earth_ clones, which had become very durable, but not nearly as agile. That gave Naruto enough time to get away before it could fight back.

Now back in his starting point and shaking his throbbing right hand, Naruto was forming a new plan while silently congratulating Momo for not only getting one over him, but already using shadow clones alongside her regular earth clones. She was likely even ready to learn the earth release: shadow clone technique, which had the added benefit of being able to regenerate itself but lacked the memory transfer property.

Momo's earth and shadow clones would have the advantage now so Naruto had to act fast. The shadow clone support would likely be casting illusions to distract him or send a combined fire attack at him while the earth clones kept him busy.

It was the latter approach that they went with. The earth clones moved in and began their assault while the shadow clones held their ground and prepared to launch a fireball all at once.

Normally, against a human opponent Naruto would have used his wind fist style of taijutsu, which reinforced fast attacks with minor wind strikes, leading to death by a thousand cuts as his opponents slowly bled out from many minor wounds.

That method would not work against an earth clone though, as they could take much punishment before collapsing. Naruto was now forced to step up a level and withdrew his wind sabres; a pair of hilts that could generate a blade of wind when the appropriate chakra was channeled through them.

With speed that made him appear as a blur, Naruto's wind sabres sliced through Momo's earth clones in an instant, but not before making sure the real Momo was not among them. She was somewhere close by, but not in the line of fire.

Speaking of that, Naruto flickered out just in time to avoid being roasted by a massive, three way fireball. A trio of kunai dispersed the shadow clones and Naruto wondered how Momo would react, if at all, to gaining their memories in the heat of battle.

The feeling of someone emerging from the ground beneath him to try and pull him under answered that question. Momo could either ignore the memories or process them much quicker than he could. Naruto's superb reflexes saved him from the same fate Momo's father once experienced, leaving the blond to wonder how much of Kakashi's bell test he had told her.

Jumping away and turning to look back at Momo, Naruto noted her clothes were now dirty from hiding underground while waiting to attack, not in the trees like he had thought. Looking back, Momo had never shown any aversion to getting dirty even though her style meant she normally would not have to. It was that willingness which was something Naruto liked to see in a kunoichi.

To people like Naruto or Lee, there was nothing like the feeling of being sweaty and dirty with tired and sore muscles from a long day of training. It was a sign they had pushed themselves to the best of their ability and would only get better.

By the looks of it Momo felt the same. There was something about the look on Momo's dirty, sweating and panting face to which Naruto felt inexplicably drawn. While they were just having a simple spar, both of them could feel the excitement of the heat of battle and were eager to keep going.

Momo's father once said that between two strong fighters in the heat of battle that words were not necessary. They were not needed here either, as Naruto and Momo were beginning to understand the other through their actions.

Momo knew she was no match for Naruto; he had long ago surpassed the strongest of his foes only to have his life drastically shortened to save the world. He did though, and all that was left in his story was for the hero to get the girl and have a happy ending. She could not wait much longer for that chapter in their lives to begin but was pleased that for now, they no longer had to worry about training to surpass the next threat, but could just enjoy their lives and have fun.

Right now, Momo was enjoying the sight of Naruto exerting himself during their spar and noted that in a couple more years, he would probably like the sight of her even more. Now, if only it was a little hotter out so Naruto would have to take off his coat, vest and shirt to stay cool...

* * *

_Present Day, Uzumaki Household..._

"I know that last little bit didn't make much sense to you," Naruto said to his children. "It will once you get older and find someone you like and can spar with like that."

Hayao appeared to be confused, but Himeko nodded as if she understood perfectly what her father meant. Naruto got a mysterious chill down his spine from that, knowing that expressing love through violence ran through her mother's side of the family.

"There was a little more to that day." Naruto said as he continued his tale. "Our spar was pretty much over after that. What was important though is the connection we made that day. Your mother proved her strength to me that day and it become one of her traits that helped me truly fall in love with her. We even still cut loose and have fun with a good spar from time to time."

What Naruto neglected to mention was that after getting married, his and Momo's spars had become just a warm-up for their "after-spar activities", which he still tried not to think about while he was watching his children; he did have to keep the story appropriate for their age level after all.

After clearing his throat along with his thoughts and taking a breath, Naruto continued his story.

"As it turned out, that was the most fun I had in years, so I took advantage of all the free time I had to spend with your mother. Aside from the thrill of a good spar, we had a lot of lost time to make up for too. I didn't think of it at first, but there was one good way for us to make sure we could be together as much as possible."

* * *

_Hidden Leaf Village, ten years ago, May fifth..._

As he promised, Naruto had taken a day off for Momo's sixteenth birthday and to join in the celebrations with her family. Aside from them and Momo's former team-mates, the only other guests were the friends of Momo's parents and their families. Other than her former team-mates, Momo did not appear to have any friends in her age group, not even amongst her former classmates.

Naruto hoped that as Momo grew older, she would make more friends as her level of maturity grew to match her actual age. As it was though, Momo seemed fine with things the way they were so Naruto felt no need to intervene. He did not have many close friends outside those present either.

At the moment, he was dressed in casual clothing and kept his hair concealed by a bandana so as not to draw attention to himself. This was Momo's day and he did not want the presence of the Hokage to cause a distraction.

Hiding in plain sight seemed to help as all of the attention was directed at Momo, who accepted it with the cool but polite indifference of an Uchiha, but Naruto could tell that she was enjoying the attention if it was from someone she liked. She recognized him immediately and perked up whenever he spoke to her, but regained her mask of indifference when someone else spoke to her.

Most of her decorum was lost when it came time for Momo to open her presents. Aside from practical gifts for a shinobi like extra weaponry and basic gear, she received things a normal teenage girl would like such as clothes, jewelery, perfume and even make-up. Naruto did not think she needed any of it, not that he thought much of it. He was more concerned with how she would like his gift.

Knowing that Momo would not care for much, as she could obtain anything she really wanted on her own, he decided to get something personal for her that could not be obtained anywhere else. After arduously pondering what would make for the perfect gift, Naruto found it right under his nose. It was with surprisingly little reluctance that he decided part with something important to him.

There were only a handful of objects Naruto owned that once belonged to his parents. According to the wills they had left, in the case both had passed then Naruto would be left only a few personal possessions of Kushina and Minato's (to be held by Jiraiya and given to Naruto when he was ready) while the remainder of their estate would be sold to provide funding for his upbringing. All of Naruto's expenses during his childhood were paid for under the cover of a charity that also made donations to a babysitting service and even a ramen stand.

Some of the things that Minato had left Naruto were his special kunai and custom cloaks. Minato had also written some journals that contained little information on any of his signature techniques, but gave deep insight into the man he really was. Naruto treasured them greatly.

Kushina had left some books as well that also showed aspects of her personality within the writing, but Naruto felt that considering what they were that Momo would get more use out of them then he would. It was hard to part with something of his mother's but he felt giving them to Momo was the right thing to do.

Naruto knew just when Momo was about to open the present from him, as her eyes lit up with anticipation. It helped that his was slightly larger and heavier than average.

Momo opened it carefully as she wanted to treasure it just as much an any other gift she had received from Naruto. The gift would have to make up for two missed birthdays, but she was not disappointed by what she received.

Inside an ordinary box wrapped with what else but orange gift-wrap was a set of books. Knowledge was a valuable asset for a shinobi, so whatever was contained in the books was sure to be of great use to Momo, especially if Naruto believed she would benefit from them.

Opening the cover of the closest book, Momo read the words written on the inside cover and let out a gasp.

_This cookbook is the property of Uzumaki Kushina, so hands off or you'll lose them, believe me!_

Momo skimmed through the book just to make sure. It was indeed a hand-written cookbook that belonged to Naruto's mother. She had heard stories from Hinata and Ayame, who heard from their fathers about just how good a cook that Naruto's mother was.

A certain recipe for salt ramen that Momo had learned from Hinata was listed in the book, along with Kushina's personal notes. Knowing the recipe like Hinata apparently did was nothing when compared to the original written in the chef's own hand and containing their heart and soul. It explained just what Kushina must have been thinking while working on the recipe and explained each step in detail.

With her new books, Momo felt she could go from knowing how to make a good bowl of ramen to becoming an excellent cook. Having such a skill would allow her to become a great wife for Naruto someday and maybe even a mother to their children as well.

That may not have been exactly what Naruto had intended when he gave her the books but he had a habit of giving her just what she wanted to accomplish her dreams without realizing it.

Her eyes were beginning to water as Momo began to comprehend just how priceless a gift she had been given and how much it must have meant to Naruto, let alone how he must have felt about her to give them away.

Momo looked at Naruto and mouthed a "thank you" to him, to which he smiled and nodded back a "you're welcome".

Most present had no idea what was in those books to draw such a reaction, but Hinata gave Naruto a smile. Even she only knew the basic recipe and not the reasoning for why it was made as it was, which was written in those books. Naruto had only shared it with her once after he inherited them in an event that made her realize she was just not the one for him. That woman had yet to come along.

* * *

It was several days later when Naruto and Momo had another spar. This time Naruto needed to let off some frustration from the headaches he experienced in dealing with the administration of the village. As he had a hard time time finding a good staff to work with he had been using his shadow clones to assist him, leading to multiple sets of memories of several hours of monotonous work added to his own each day.

Sparring with Momo helped take his mind off his worries and let Naruto just enjoy himself like he used to in the older days that were slowing becoming forgotten memories as time went by.

It was apparent Momo had been holding back during their previous spars. She was currently hidden using an advanced invisibility illusion that concealed the user's smell and the sounds the made in addition to hiding them from sight. Naruto was still not using his chakra sensing abilities to find her, as it was a much rarer skill than most believed it to be so they were focusing on working their way up from more common skills first.

At the moment, Naruto had a shadow clone standing barefoot in the field, feeling out vibrations in the ground in case Momo was hiding underground. Others were positioned in the trees and scattered around while transformed to observe the ground or treeline for changes.

An incoming memory revealed Momo's movements to Naruto. The grass several feet behind him was flattening and sprouting back up a bit at a time, moving closer to him little by little. Naruto smirked, that was the reason shinobi did not maintain there yards too well.

Moving carefully, Naruto pretended to scratch himself on his leg, keeping his hand close to his kunai pouch. Suddenly, the wind shifted and Naruto withdrew a kunai and threw it directly behind himself in one swift motion while forming a half ram seal with his other hand.

The kunai flew far, but Naruto's eyes were on the flattened grass that seemed to have an invisible weight upon it. Inhaling deeply, he let out the chakra and air he had gathered into a wind release: great breakthrough to blow his unseen assailant away.

Just then, a familiar sound coming from behind him caught Naruto's attention. He leaped away, avoiding a rasengan coming for where he was just standing. Creating a water whip in his right hand from the moisture in the air, he slashed it down upon the incoming rasengan, causing it to blow up in the hand of its wielder.

"And that is Naruto two, Momo one." He said, calling the spar.

"Hmph, fine." She replied while healing her hand. "Best three out of five then?"

"Hmm..."

Outwardly, Naruto appeared to be considering the offer. Inwardly, he was thinking about Momo's use of the rasengan. She could perform it one-handed and had a well developed earth affinity.

"You know, I think it's possible for you to add your earth element to the rasengan." Naruto said, which surprised Momo. "Given your skill, you would even be able to learn how to perform the earth release: shadow clone technique."

"Really? That's great!" Momo said, leaving Naruto to give her a sad smile.

"I know, but I don't think we have enough time to do both. I can teach you the earth release: shadow clone and show you my wind release: rasengan, but I don't know if I'll be able to help you master both."

"That's okay. I'm fine with that, really." Momo said. "I can do it on my own, but I appreciate the help." She said, trying not to turn back into a blushing little girl.

"Alright, I can see your point." Naruto said, as he nodded in acquiescence. "But don't forget that while it's okay to prove you can handle things by yourself, it's also okay to ask for help from people who care about you. While I did learn a lot on my own, the groundwork for my skills were set by all the instructors I've had, from Iruka-sensei at the academy to Kurama himself before I started working on my own." He finished, glad that Momo showed no negative reaction to the mention of the Nine-Tailed Fox's name.

"In that case, I have you to thank for helping me develop my skills as well." Momo pointed out.

"Well, you're welcome Momo." Naruto said, smiling.

"So I guess I owe you then." Momo said as soon as Naruto was finished talking "I really want to make it up to you, but I'll miss you during the times we're apart." She said as she began to pout while holding her hands together behind her back. "I really would like to spend more time with you though, but we're both so busy. You have your duties as Hokage and I'll have a lot of missions that will keep us apart." She finished as she lowered her head and made little circles in the ground with the tip of her right foot.

The "cute and adorable" act was not as effective for Momo as it used to be so she was getting as much use out of it as she could while it still worked.

"Yeah, that's true." Naruto said, cursing his weakness for anything pink and cute. "You won't get to see your family much either." He said as he cupped his chin while thinking of how to solve both their problems. "I've got it!" Naruto said as he snapped his fingers.

Momo looked up expectantly at Naruto.

"How would you like to be my new assistant?"

For a second, Momo looked excited and ready to answer in the affirmative. Then she took on a pensive look, and finally a slightly sad look.

"It's an amazing offer and I definitely wouldn't mind being able to spend all of out time together, but..." Momo said before trailing off, unable to continue.

Naruto could tell what she wanted to say though and was okay with it.

"I understand. It's a big opportunity but you are not ready for it. You want to get more experience first, right?"

Momo nodded. While she wished she could have accepted the offer she felt turning it down was the mature thing to do.

"It's okay. If I still need a good assistant in a few years then you'll still be the first person I have in mind for the job."

Smiling, Momo continued to nod. While she would have liked to be able to spend all their time together, she was determined to make sure that they would someday spend the rest of their lives together. She had waited for a few years already so she could wait for a few longer.

As Naruto and Momo began to discuss other matters, both agreed that perhaps everything had worked out for the best. While Naruto was still silently concerned that their friendship would not last, he resolved not to take it for granted and no longer worry about what might happen. No matter how much he was unable to forget his dream of a family with a pink-haired woman.

* * *

_Present Day, Uzumaki household…_

"Well, that was it. That's how I accomplished my lifelong goal of becoming Hokage and renewed a very special friendship. Your mother and I didn't get to see each other as often as we would have liked because of our new roles, but that just made the times we were together even more special."

Looking back, Naruto was not surprised that to see that between finally becoming Hokage and realizing he had not lost Momo as a friend that the latter would be what he considered the more important event of that year.

Becoming Hokage was once only a means to an end for him. Naruto believed that by doing so he would finally gain the respect of the people of the Hidden Leaf Village. He had unknowingly earned it after only a few years of being a shinobi. With that accomplished, Naruto turned his focus onto a more noble set of goals.

"In the years since I became the Hokage I've used the position to help improve the village's standing with the other Hidden Villages while promoting peace between the nations of the Elemental Countries. Kakashi-sensei laid the groundwork set by grandma Tsunade in improving the village to the point where I could be accepted as Hokage and prove that making allies over enemies is the true path to peace."

The world had truly become a better place with Naruto as Hokage. Kakashi had focused his efforts in office inward, improving the village itself based on the faults he had seen over the years now that he was in a position to do something about them. Naruto however, had learned to see past those and to the big picture of the relations between a Hidden Village and its home nation, as well as with other Hidden Villages and nations.

Naruto could now honestly say that he had accomplished Jiraiya's dream as well of a peaceful world for shinobi. His godfather, who he grew to love as a perverted grandfather, saw much strife in his life and wished to end it. Naruto was happy that the world was now safe as ties between nations and villages were the strongest they had ever been, and his children would hopefully never know the hardships he did as a child.

"What was your other dream, daddy?" Himeko asked, almost as if she was sensing that her father's thoughts had turned to her and her brother.

"Yeah, tell us!" Hayao said.

Naruto smiled down at his two children and squeezed them closer to him as he replied.

"It was to marry the woman of my dreams and finally have the one thing that was lost to me the day I was born; a real family. Unless you two are figments of my imagination, then that dream came true."

Hayao and Himeko looked pleased at their father's statement. He told them very often just how much he loved them and often held them close to him as if he really was afraid they would disappear.

Suddenly, a familiar mischievous grin appeared on Hayao's face. He reached out and pinched his sister on her arm.

"Ow, that hurt!" Himeko cried out.

"See, we're real!" Hayao said, his expression that of a young Naruto's closed-eyed grin, one that looked oddly out of place on him. "Ow!" He too then cried out as Himeko pinched him back.

"See how you like it!" Himeko said.

Naruto's two children then slipped out of his grips and began a pinching war. Hayao would never admit it, but his little sister was actually beating him, possibly to her more dominant Haruno heritage. Starting a fight with his little sister was bad, but losing it was worse.

As for Naruto, he was letting out a sigh at his children's antics. Sometimes they were perfect little angels, other times they were little devils. Even worse, the blond could have sworn he heard Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, laughing in the back of his head at his host's woes of fatherhood.

"Okay, break it up or I won't continue the story." Naruto said as he pulled his fighting children away from each other.

Hayao and Himeko were now separated from each other as their father was keeping them apart at a distance of his arms length, but they still glared at each other. Naruto was just amazed that they still had the energy to fight despite the late hour. Whatever it was that was keeping Momo from returning must have been important and he hoped it was nothing bad. Since worrying about her would do him no good and that his wife was in capable hands, Naruto turned his attention back to their children to lighten his mood.

"Are you two going to behave now so I can finish the story? If not you can always go to bed now."

That was the correct thing to say as Hayao and Himeko's glares vanished and were replaced by angelic smiles, complete with halo. Naruto wondered if that was the result of an Uchiha clan genjutsu that their mother or grandfather taught them, which led to wondering just how bad Uchiha children had been to warrant its use.

"Do you two promise to behave now?"

"We promise." Hayao and Himeko said in unison with synchronized nods.

"Good, so where was I?" Naruto said aloud as he consulted his book. "Ah, your mother's eighteenth birthday." He said as he skimmed through the chapter.

Taking in a breath, Naruto readied himself for what he was about to say. He was going to reveal something known only to those closest to him.

"Your mother and I had renewed our friendship and she forgave me for thinking that one could not last between us. I still had no idea that she wanted much more than a friendship between us though, as I didn't think that anyone would ever truly love me." Naruto said, his voice nearly a whisper at the end as he paused to sigh at the foolishness of his past.

The admission was met by silence as Naruto wondered what his children would think of him now. An answer came sooner than he expected.

"We love you daddy." Himeko said as she shot a glare at her brother.

"Yeah, you're the best!" Hayao said, not wanting to express his feelings too much but not wanting his sister to make him look bad either.

Slowly, Naruto smiled at the children he once thought he would never had; children who loved him unconditionally, as did their mother.

"I love the both of you as well." He said as he gave each a hug and a kiss on the forehead, eliciting a happy giggle from Himeko and embarrassing Hayao. "Back to the story now. If there was one advantage to my former state of mind, is that when your mother finally felt it was right to tell me how she felt about me, it was completely unexpected.

"One of her best traits is that she never gives up, as I will always be thankful that she never gave up on me, like I almost did. I thought I would lose my best friend if something came up between us, like what happened between me and your grandparents. Your mother convinced me that not only would I not lose my best friend, but I could gain something more..."

* * *

_Eight years ago, Morning of May fifth, Hidden Leaf Village…_

It was Momo's eighteenth birthday and she considered it to be a very special day. Now that she was legally an adult, she felt she needed a new look. While her old outfit was a mix of her parents' styles, she wanted her new look to be all her own.

As soon as the birthday party her parents through for her was over, Momo retired to her room to try on her the battle kimono she acqured, the design of which was based on the uniform once worn by the Fifth Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi.

It was mostly a light green colour that made for a better match with her jonin vest than her old blue shirt. It also made for a nice contrast with her pink hair, which she had taken to letting down from its usual bun when she was not on a mission.

Still a little upset she would apparenly never have a need for a bra, Momo decided to wear a mesh shirt underneath the kimono, which also had long sleeves suitable for concealing weapons. To complete the look, she wore a pair of boots with high leggings that revealed only a little bit of her thighs. Her equipment pouch was still worn over her backside while her tonfa remained in their holsters at her side.

There were only two items missing now and they were the most important. Reaching over to her desk, Momo picked up her forehead protector, which she had worn around her neck ever since Naruto gave her a pair of goggles as a gift, and put both items back on to their usual spots. She smiled at the now more fitting reflection staring back at her; that of a young woman with one of her most treasured possessions.

Pleased with her new look, Momo left her room to join Naruto for their daily spar. She could not wait to see how he would react.

* * *

To say Naruto liked Momo's new look was like saying he liked ramen. Just like how his favourite meal combined noodles, pork, broth and other ingredients, so too did Momo's new look show him that she possessed just about every trait he found attractive in a woman.

From Momo's pink hair which made her stand out and draw his attention to her, to her beautiful face that reminded Naruto of the young Uchiha Mikoto he had seen alongside pictures of his mother, to how Momo looked so very good in green and how that green kimono fit almost perfectly on her frame, to what flustered Naruto to think that Momo's butt looked even better than her mother's in black shorts and a skirt, he thought she had become a damn fine young woman.

Realizing that only made Naruto feel awkward as while he defintely found Momo attractive now, she was still just under half his age. Not only that, but she was his friend and he was not sure he could deal with losing not only her friendship but the connection he had to her parents as well.

There was a mental barrier standing between what Naruto now wanted and his willingness to act on that want. No matter how wrong it was, Naruto could not help thinking that it felt right and slowly, that barrier began to falter.

* * *

Later that night, Momo was making sure she looked her best. While she was not normally one to spend hours on her appearance, instead keeping a more natural look, the young, pink-haired woman had acquired a lime green kimono that fit her almost perfectly.

After seeing how Naruto reacted to her new uniform, green had become one of her new favourite colours. While Momo wished she could have also had her mother's pretty green eyes she would not give up the sharingan just to look a little prettier.

In addition to her new clothes, Momo had been given a pass for a full spa treatment for her birthday from her parents which she had already exploited to the fullest once she was finished with her spar with Naruto. It was the perfect way to relax after exhausting herself. Momo felt and looked better than she had in quite some time and hoped a certain someone would notice. If she was lucky she could even convince Naruto that they should learn how to massage each other and put in a hot tub in their future home.

Those were thoughts for the future though. They depended on what would happen soon so Momo shifted her focus onto ensuring the rest of her birthday went perfectly. Trying on her new kimono to see how she looked in it once more, Momo made a pose in front of a full length mirror.

"It really is a beautiful kimono." She said as she gazed at her reflection.

Turning to the side though, Momo's pleasant smile turned to a frown.

"It's a little loose in the front though. I guess it's not meant for less than average girls. What would Naruto think of this? Would he care about the size of my chest?"

A memory hit Momo then of the reaction said man had to her younger brother's use of the sexy technique.

"Well, maybe he won't mind at all." Momo said with a slight blush. "Still, I'd like to hear him say he doesn't mind. I guess I'll just have to ask him what he thinks." She said, a bit nervously.

While Momo was a brave kunoichi who would charge in to save her team-mates from certain death without a second thought, mostly due to Naruto's influence on her, when it came to asking her potential boyfriend and long time crush whether he thought her breasts were too small, that was another matter entirely.

* * *

Downstairs, Naruto was waiting for Momo in the living room with her parents. For her birthday, she had wanted him to take her out for a quiet meal at their favourite restaurant. Naruto expected that she just wanted to take advantage of her new age to legally drink but did not want to do so in front of her parents.

There was a small party for Momo held by her family earlier in the day, but as she grew older, Momo seemed to outgrow them. It was as if she was ready to move on and start her own life away from her family.

Naruto had been present for the party, having put Konohamaru in charge for the day while a shadow clone stayed with him. He had not given her his gift then, as they agreed to save it for later that night once they were alone.

At the moment, Naruto was dressed semi-formally in an orange and black kimono. Normally he preferred to avoid dressing up but felt that this was a special occasion. Momo's parents thought so as well, based on their actions.

Momo's mother had been taking several pictures of Naruto. When he asked, she said it was for posterity. He thought she was referring to how he rarely dressed up. The last time he had worn the kimono was to her and Momo's father's wedding.

Momo's father was acting odd as well. He was sitting on a couch, waiting for his wife and Naruto. She sat down next to him, who then gestured for the blond to sit in a chair across from them.

It was at that point that it finally occured to Naruto that he did not know just when he stopped referring to them by their names as he once did, but as Momo's parents. While he could call them by their first name, it now felt odd to do so. His relationship to them had changed and he was no longer sure just what it was.

He had just decided that for the moment, he would call them Mr and Mrs. Uchiha, no matter how weird it felt, when Mr. Uchiha said something that confused Naruto even more.

"What are your intentions with my daughter tonight?"

Naruto blinked and answered honestly.

"She asked me to take her out on for a nice, quite meal at Ichiraku, so that's what I was planning to do."

"I see." Mr. Uchiha, which still seemed odd to Naruto to think of him as, said. "Very well then. If that is all you have planned, then I have no concerns."

The statement was initially met by silence, as Naruto thought it was an odd thing to say and did not know how to respond.

"Yes, I'm so glad you two finally decided to take the next step." Mrs. Uchiha said, since Naruto was still silent. "I'm happy you found someone at last; that person being my dear Momo means I can be assured that you'll take good care of her. I would have preferred if you two had waited a little longer (like maybe ten years longer), but I can understand what it's like to be young and in love." She finished, holding back her tears.

Naruto was still oblivious to what Momo's parents were talking about and did not notice Mr. Uchiha telling his wife she was being too obvious as he calmed her down. While Naruto thought their behaviour was suspiscious, he had no frame of reference to understand their intent.

Naruto did not have any more time to ponder the weird actions of Momo's parents as her voice yelling out called his attention on to her.

"Everyone make way, epic hotness coming through!"

At that moment, Momo came down from upstairs. Naruto held back a gasp at the sight and did not notice Mrs. Uchiha taking a picture of her daughter and his reaction at seeing her.

Momo's long pink hair was now hanging freely instead of its usual bun. Instead of the battle kimono he had really liked seeing her wearing, Momo was now wearing a green kimono that clung almost perfectly to her upper torso but was more loose at the bottom, which opened into a short skirt that revealed her stocking adorned legs and ended in a pair of boots that were practical for a kunoichi but still fashionable; just like Momo.

Shifting his gaze back upwards, Naruto's eyes locked onto Momo's and he saw the mirth contained within them. She had caught him staring, but did not seem to mind. If it had been her mother at a younger age he had been ogling, Naruto would be trying to dodge her incensed punches.

Mrs. Uchiha had settled down considerably since her youth and was now quite flattered with the attention she occasionally recieved, having learned how to deal with it much better over the years.

Like her mother, Momo had quite a few admirers, possibly even more due to her Uchiha heritage. Yet she turned down any offers she had been given from her suitors and refused to accept any gifts. Naruto was sure that Momo was merely waiting for an offer from the right man, but was unsure why she did not make the first move herself, as she clearly liked someone.

Her mother had been attracted to her father from practically the moment they met, so Momo had likely met her crush years ago. Whoever they were, Naruto hoped they were not as stubborn as Momo's father to make a wonderful woman like her wait.

Momo's parents had left the room now to give her and Naruto some privacy. Keeping the sadness out of his smile, Naruto continued to gaze at Momo while pondering his own love life. While he tried in many ways to fill the emptiness in his life that he felt, it was a pain that still tore at him from time to time. The sight of a happy couple like Momo's parents playing with their children made Naruto realized he longed for a family of his very own to complete his life.

"You look beautiful." Naruto said to Momo.

"Thank you." She replied with a slight blush.

Naruto meant what he said and was pleased with the reaction from Momo. She could stay calm around anyone but him and he liked how he was the only one to see that side of her.

On the other hand, seeing Momo blossom from a precocious young girl into a beautiful young woman had him on edge. Naruto had to remind himself for what he expected to not be the only time that she was a good friend of his and he did not want to ruin their friendship like he did with her mother by letting an attraction keep him from being just friends with her. Naruto was sure that Momo's heart was already taken and that the best thing for him to do was to support her as a good friend should.

Strangely, Naruto did not feel any jealousy as he thought he would at the thought of Momo liking someone else, nor did he feel a pain of longing for something he could not have as he used to when in her presence. If Naruto was being honest with himself, something he was usually not when it concerned how he felt for Momo, he was definitely becoming attracted to her but did not feel the pain he associated with his crush on her mother.

That concerned Naruto greatly. Momo was like a piece of forbidden fruit to him. Not only was she the daughter of his former team-mates, regardless of the fact he had grown closer and bonded better with her than he ever did with her parents, she was also less than half his age, although she was now a legal adult and had been a jonin for the past two years. Momo was a grown woman now and could make her own decisions regarding her life, including who she wanted to spend the rest of it with.

For now, all Naruto could do was be a good friend to her; he had grown accustomed to Momo being a part of his life and did not want to lose what he had with her. Right now he would have to be a gentlemen with her and respect her wishes, whatever they may be.

"Shall we go?" Naruto asked as Momo pulled herself into his side, wrapping her arms around his left arm as she settled her head on his shoulder.

"In a minute. I want to enjoy this moment."

Naruto felt the same. While a part of him wanted to pull away from her, he let her stay by his side, enjoying the feeling of closeness they shared. He was glad she had a firm grip on his arm as he would otherwise be tempted to place it at the small of her back and see how much lower he could move it.

Letting out a content sigh, Naruto inhaled again, his senses filled with a familiar scent coming from Momo's hair.

"Momo, did you use a ramen scented shampoo?" He asked her.

"...maybe." She said coyly, looking up and gazing at him as she did so.

Damn lucky, whoever was the man Momo was after was damn lucky.

* * *

Naruto and Momo were now settled into their private booth at Ichiraku. To them it was fine cuisine and more importantly, it meant more to them than any expensive restaurant ever could. It was their favourite restaurant and held many treasured memories for them.

It was a safe haven for Naruto in his youth, as Teuchi and Ayame were among the first people he could remember to treat him with kindness.

For Momo, it was a place her father once took her when she was little where he shared stories about his youth before his career and taking care of Momo's younger siblings took up his time.

Most importantly, it was where they shared their first meal together and many more ever since.

As they were settling in and about to order drinks, Momo decided to be a little daring.

"Can we order some sake? Now that I'm eighteen I'd like to try some."

Naruto just made a pained grimace at the request.

"I've tried it before and didn't like it. It's really bitter, like all alcohol. Some made with fruits aren't bad since they're a little sweet, but they're still bitter. Even worse, sake is meant to be served hot, so it really burns to drink it."

"I'd still like to try some." Momo said, already beginning to cross her arms and pout if she did not get her way.

"Okay, but if we order a bottle you have to drink as much as you can so it won't go to waste. I'll have a little, just because drinking alone isn't fun." Naruto said, apparently speaking a little from experience.

Momo smiled in excitement. Now that she was eighteen, she was a legal adult, and could indulge in many formerly forbidden activities.

"Can you believe how many civilians think that just by becoming a genin, I could drink or smoke all I wanted? I've actually been offered alcohol by some older men back when I was a rookie genin on my first C-ranks outside the village. My instructor took the man who offered me some away before I could explain that at the age I was, drinking alcohol could be dangerous as I could only drink a little compared to an adult before risking alcohol poisoning, not to mention how it could detrimentally affect my growth. Looking back, I used to be pretty naive."

Stone-faced, Naruto held back from commenting on the incident, as he was glad nothing bad came out of it and Momo did not realize what could have happened, but did have his own views on the topic to share.

"Yeah, there's been a lot of work been done over the years to correct mistaken views like that. In some cases it helps, but in others it's better not to correct them. Did you know that most of them still think that the transformation technique is an illusion and not a solid chakra construct?"

"Then they've obviously never seen it or an illusion used properly before." Momo said, resisting the urge to snort in unladylike derision.

"That's not all though." Naruto said, continuing where he left off. "A lot of them even think my healing factor is entirely due to Kurama's chakra, even though it was established long before that Uzumaki are known for our vitality or that no other power of human sacrifice who wasn't an Uzumaki had shown any signs of accelerated healing."

Momo blinked at that statement, as if realizing something for the first time.

"That means any children you have someday will be capable of accelerated healing as well." Momo stated.

"Yeah, you're right. Hopefully they won't need to rely on it though." Naruto said, trying not to think of all the times his healing factor saved his life.

"Speaking as a woman who would hopefully be a mother someday," Momo began, wondering if it was too early to bring up the topic of children with the man she wanted to have them with, "I would be much happier knowing any children I had would be less likely to come to serious harm."

Naruto could tell that Momo was trying to cheer him up but felt that it was not working.

"That's true, but I'd be happier if a woman fell for me and not for my bloodline-limit."

Hearing him say that, Momo resisted the urge to flinch from inadvertently offending him. What happened between them on their date could lead to major changes looked in their relationship and any more slip-ups like that could make things worse. Knowing she had to be bold now, she gazed directly into Naruto's eyes and gave him a serious look.

"If a woman would rather be with you because she sees you as prime breeding stock than she deserves to miss out on the handsome, wonderful man you really are. You deserve to be with someone who truly loves you for who you are and not what they want out of a relationship with you." Momo said, truly not caring about Naruto's bloodline-limit or who his parents were, but for Naruto himself.

If Naruto was not the Hokage, he would have blushed at Momo's comments. She was a very important person to him though, and he gave her a happy smile.

"Thanks Momo. I think you're great too and the man you love will be a very lucky guy. I hope you meet someone who cares for you and not for your sharingan or as a trophy wife."

Momo did give a cute blush at hearing Naruto's reply, even if it was not the first time hearing those words from him. She had not even realized that she could be in the same position as him, sought out as breeding stock for her bloodline-limit or as a trophy wife. In her mind, becoming Mrs. Uzumaki Momo was the only possible future for her.

"Thank you." She said, averting her gaze to hide her embarrassment that she was sure she would never completely get over, not that she minded anymore.

"Still, that does bring up a couple points. Accelerated healing is only one benefit to the Uzumaki vitality. A long lifespan is the other, but it's more of a curse. I can't tell you how much it hurts knowing that I'll likely outlive everyone I knew growing up by decades. Any children I have will have to deal with it as well, but they'll have each other to help them through it. I don't have anyone."

Momo now knew Naruto was wrong, she understood him better than anyone and was now more sure than ever that they were meant to be together.

"You have me." She said, now her turn to repeat a statement of her own to Naruto.

They were now staring directly into each other's eyes again, both looking very serious.

"What?" Naruto said, almost in a whisper.

"You have me." Momo repeated once more, this time with more vigor. "You don't feel any connection to women your own age since you know you'll outlive them, plus most of them have moved on anyway, right?" She asked, getting a barely perceivable nod from Naruto. "Well, since I'm younger than you than you won't outlive me."

As Momo continued to gaze into Naruto's eyes, she felt she could see into his soul. She saw a cracking barrier inside his mind, keeping him from acting on his secret desires. With her last statement though, more cracks began to form in the barrier as Naruto's resistance began to crumble.

"I love you Naruto, I always have and I always will." Momo said, bringing out the big guns. "I want to marry you, have many wonderful children with you and grow old together like I know we can."

Momo could continue to see the wall between them crumble as she continued. When she told Naruto she loved him, he looked shocked at first. His hands began to tremble as they moved closer to her own as if to take hold of them and never let go. His eyes never parted from hers while his mouth seemed to be seconds away from erupting into a full-blown grin.

A part of Momo felt saddened that it may have been the first time Naruto had heard another person say that they loved him. She resolved to tell it to him every day from now on as she knew it to be true and hoped that he felt the same for her.

Inside Naruto's mind, the crumbling wall was threatening to break into pieces. Momo was on one side, proclaiming her love for him. Naruto, on the other, was looking at her and was surprised by what he saw before him.

When he first met Momo, she was a young girl who he had formed a connection with because of her parents. In time, they developed a connection of their own. He no longer saw her as the daughter of Sakura and Sasuke, but as Momo, who he shared with a friendship he wished he had with her parents, who had become Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha to him.

Now, she was a young woman capable of making her own decisions, like who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Naruto once saw a vision of his dream woman and although she and Momo shared the same shade of pink hair, she was still different from the Momo he knew and it tore him apart that he could not be the friend he thought Momo wanted to be. Now, the woman of his dreams looked just like the woman sitting in front of him confessing to wanting to be more than just his friend, but to be his lover, wife and mother of his children.

There was only the lynchpin of the barrier holding it together now and it was composed of one factor; whether or not Naruto would finally learn to be selfish and take what he wanted for himself regardless of what others thought of him. For once in his life, Naruto was selfish.

"Momo, I love you too." Naruto said, admitting his feeling to himself as much as he did to her as his hands wrapped around hers and felt the warmth of her love between them.

It only took a second after his admission for them to end up in each other's embrace. They had held each other before, but the barrier that was between them kept them both from acting on their deep desires. Now that barrier was gone and with it any inhibitions either had.

Their hands were exploring each other's bodies as their eyes never averted their gaze from each other. Naruto looked into Momo's charcoal eyes and saw a love for him that would never waver, while she looked into his blue eyes and saw a happiness at finding true love that even exceeded the day he became Hokage.

Momo ran her hands over Naruto's strong, muscular body and felt safe in that she could now let down her guard as Naruto would protect her from now on. His own were working her way through her long pink hair, causing it to fall out of place as they continued down her back and down to her buttocks. She let out a gasp of pleasure as one of Naruto's hands began to knead her bottom as the other ran itself through her now messy hair.

When Momo gasped, she became the first to look away as her eyes closed and she head titled up. Naruto maintained his stare though. He was admiring her long pink hair and how it and her lime green kimono, which he thought fit perfectly on her delicious flat chest, made for a beautiful combination. In his mind, it would only have been sexier if she had been wearing a black top and panties underneath, not that he was ready to find out. Instead, Naruto settled for enjoying the feel of his hands through her hair and on her backside, which was every bit as incredible as he thought it would be.

Soon, their eyes were upon each other once more. Their hands came to a stop, Momo's arms wrapped around Naruto's neck while his were holding up her backside. As they stared, their eyes slowly began to close as their lips moved closer until…

"Here's your order."

Ayame personally brought their food.

As she placed a large order of ramen and a small tsukemen on their table, not at all uncomfortable with her best customers near improper use of their proper table but rather smirking the whole time, Naruto and Momo, who were quite embarrassed at being interrupted, pulled away from each other and thanked Ayame for bringing their food.

"You're welcome. Now, just remember, just because this is a family restaurant where children can come to eat doesn't mean any have been conceived here. There is a proper time and place for everything. Oh, and enjoy your food!"

With that, Ayame left the mortified couple to eat their meal.

"We're going to be getting a lot of that from now on, aren't we?" Naruto asked Momo.

"It looks like it." Momo replied as she broke apart her chopsticks. "Besides, isn't it tradition to conceive a child on the Hokage's desk? We'll have to stop your office later."

Naruto's spit-take confirmed that while some things had changed for them and for the better, some would always stay the same.

* * *

Their meal, which they decided not to drink any alcohol with, had been very enjoyable. Naruto and Momo managed to keep their hands off of each other and just enjoyed the other's company while chatting about their usual topics like they always did. The only exception was now they were making plans for many more nights like the one they were having and how to control the urges they were letting out.

"I don't know if I can keep my hands off of you now that I know what I can do with them." Naruto said as he walked Momo home.

They were merely holding hands at this point, which they were content with. There were a few people who saw the Hokage and a much younger woman walking hand-in-hand, but Naruto no longer cared what they thought; he was happy with his choice.

"So what will you do now?" Naruto asked. "Now that we'll be dating I wouldn't mind if you were in the village more often."

"I was actually thinking of becoming a jonin-sensei." Momo said. "Training a new team of genin and helping them become chunin would be a good way of giving back to the village and make up for losing a jonin once I go off duty to become a housewife and start a family."

Naruto squeezed Momo's hand tighter at her last comment. Neither of them were ready to have any children yet as they wanted to spend some time as a couple first. They did agree to have their first child as soon as they were married though.

For now though, both were content to know they were loved by the other. Momo was happy that Naruto had learned to return her affections, or accept the feelings he already had while he was happy to have finally found his dream girl who came from the most unexpected source.

Any lingering feelings of resentment towards Momo's parents for their past treatment of him were long since gone. He could never harbour any ill will towards the ones whose love brought Momo into this world, and any hardships they had caused him would be more than forgiven as long as they gave him and Momo their blessing.

It was at that moment that Naruto realized that they had already done so and must have known how Momo felt about him for some time. They truly cared about him now and wanted him to be happy.

"Does this mean I can call your parents mom and dad now?" Naruto asked, feeling oddly okay with referring to them as such.

Momo gave Naruto a pleasant smile as she rested her head on his shoulders before replying.

"I guess it does. Just don't joke about calling them grandpa and grandma yet, I don't think they'll react well."

Naruto laughed at his girlfriend's joke, imagining the look on Momo's parents' faces as he told them they would be grandparents. Then he remembered that Momo's mother had super-strength and super temperament while her father had an eternal mangekyou sharingan and paled slightly. He may have been the Hokage, but he would never intentionally hurt someone he considered family.

"You know, we should definitely wait until after we're married before having sex."

"I've waited this long, I don't mind waiting a little longer." Momo said. "Besides, it'll make our first time all the more special. How many couples can say they waited, or that they were each other's first?"

Naruto nodded, giving no objections, pleasing Momo that she would be his one and only just as he would be hers.

They walked in silence from that point on. Soon enough, they had made it back to her house. It was not too late and neither wanted to say good-bye to each other yet. They stood together on the porch and stared into the night sky.

A breeze came through and started blowing Momo's loose hair about as she decided against putting it back up after they learned how much they enjoyed it when Naruto ran his hands through her hair. She now had several loose strands of hair obscuring her face.

"Here, let me help with that." Naruto said as he pulled out a comb and began to run it through Momo's hair.

With a surprisingly gently touch, Naruto had combed Momo's hair, parting it on the right, just as his mother did.

"It's still a little loose though." Momo said as he held back some of it from falling into her face again.

"I know, but in all the excitement earlier, I forgot to give you your present." Naruto said as he pulled out a small box, causing Momo to gasp. "Here you go."

With shaking hands, Momo accepted her gift. Unlike what she thought it would be, which was ridiculous as Naruto was not on one knee and they had only confessed their love after he acquired her birthday gift, it actually just contained a simple hair clip. Part of Momo felt disappointed, but also relieved.

"It belonged to my mother. I think it would look good on you." Naruto said.

Momo now understood why he had given it to her. It formerly belonged to Uzumaki Kushina and was practically a family heirloom and now he was giving yet another priceless gift to her. Naruto's mother was a woman known for her very long red hair and equally fiery temperament. Momo had never even considered that she could have anything in common with Naruto's mother; Uzumaki Kushina was one of a kind while Momo was more of mix of her mother and father.

Since she did not have a mirror to aid her, Momo handed the hairclip back to Naruto so he could put it into place. He took his comb back out and readjusted Momo's hair a bit more as some had fallen out of place again. When Naruto had finished combing aside Momo's hair and putting the hairpin in place to reveal her forehead, he did something that would become a habit for him; he kissed her now exposed forehead, making her blush.

"Naruto, why did you kiss my forehead?" Momo asked, not that she minded, as it was not the first time he had done so.

"It's silly, but it's because of your mother." Naruto replied, looking a bit embarrassed.

"My mother?" Momo wondered aloud, unsure of how to feel.

While she loved her mother very much, Momo still felt a twinge of jealousy whenever she was reminded of Naruto's feelings for her, even if they were much different from what they once were.

"When your mother was younger, she was teased a lot for her big forehead. I never thought it was big. One time I even transformed into your father to tell her she had a large and charming forehead that made me want to kiss it. I got really sick before I could though. Looking back, I should have just done it as myself. I bet I got sick because what I was doing was wrong."

"Do you think anything is wrong with my forehead?" Momo asked.

"No, I think it's a perfectly cute forehead."

Momo had never been worried about her forehead, but there was something that concerned her and this was as good a chance as any to find out.

"Are my, umm, I mean, is my chest too small?" Momo asked, a bit more nervously this time.

Naruto gulped before replying.

"I think it's the perfect size. It helps make you look really good in that kimono; like it's a perfect fit."

"Thank you." Momo said, doing a little twirl to show off just how perfectly the kimono fit her.

"You have a really nice butt too." Naruto said without thinking as he caught a glimpse of Momo's lovely backside during her spin.

She stopped twirling at that point, blushing furiously, unable to make eye contact with Naruto.

"You think so?" She asked hesitantly, making Naruto realize he spoke out loud.

"Yeah, I do." He answered as he felt his heart race faster than it ever had, even when he fought the Akatsuki.

"Naruto," Momo began as she too gulped and slowly made eye contact with him, "you've known me since I was a freshly minted genin, so tell me honestly, how do I look? Do I look more like a woman now?"

Naruto did not even hesitate to answer, as he knew exactly what to say in response.

"I think you've become a beautiful young woman and a strong kunoichi." He said in complete honesty.

The statement meant more than just a compliment to Momo, it meant Naruto had now acknowledged her as a woman first and a shinobi second. She was not a little girl anymore but a young woman who was ready to make her own decisions and endure the consequences of them.

"Thank you." She said again as she moved closer to Naruto.

Momo's heart was now racing as fast as his as she stood right before him and placed her hands on his shoulders. As she did so, Momo felt Naruto put his hands around her waist, slowly lowering them until they were caressing her delicious backside. Momo moaned in delight, pressing herself into Naruto's chest as she turned and locked her gaze upon his.

"Momo." Naruto said in a whisper.

"Naruto." She whispered back, their lips slowly moving closer until they met.

Their first kiss was by accident. This one was done on purpose and there would be no one to interrupt them. Neither was sure who closed the gap first, but both knew they finally had what they wanted for so long.

* * *

A distance away, too far for Naruto and Momo to be heard but close enough to see what they were doing, a woman with short, pink hair and a dark haired man with many distinguished looking grey locks were observing the two.

"If he hurts her, he'll regret it." Sasuke said, more out of obligation as Momo's father than genuine concern for his eldest daughter.

"Oh please, Naruto isn't the stupid kid he was when we were young and we can barely remember those days anymore. He really cares about our dear Momo and probably considers himself the luckiest guy in the world to have her now." Sakura said as she gave her husband a love tap on his shoulder, to which Sasuke used much of his control to keep from wincing in pain since his wife was surprisingly strong. "Besides, if he did do something to hurt our dear Momo, she now knows him better than us and can do a much better job getting back at him, Haruno style." Sakura finished with an evil grin that still caused Sasuke to shudder from time to time.

With that, she turned away and began to turn in. Sasuke remained for a moment, taking his time and getting a last look at his eldest daughter and former team-mate.

"Congratulations Naruto, it took you longer than any of us expected, but you finally found some happiness." Sasuke said aloud with a rare smile on his face. "You have now learned the same lesson I did, once a Haruno woman falls for you, that you may resist it at first, but in the end you'll find out it's what you really wanted all along."

While his words to his former team-mate and future son-in-law were supportive, Sasuke's final musings were more sinister.

"It seems everything went just as I planned."

Secure in the belief that the turn of events that had transpired over the day were favourable to the future of the Uchiha clan, a long held concern of his, Sasuke finally turned away from Naruto and Momo, but winced and began to rub his shoulder as he did so. He was certain that he now had a bruise there. Sasuke thought he was lucky to have Sakura's eternal love and devotion, but Naruto was even luckier since Momo did not know Tsunade's super strength technique.

* * *

_Present day, Uzumaki household…_

"And that was the day your mother and I confessed our love. It was something she had always felt, and something I had gradually come to discover. I once thought I had missed my chance at love, but it turned out I was one of the lucky few to get their perfect girl, it just took me some time to realize it."

Hayao and Himeko looked pleased by the long awaited relationship upgrade between their parents, although in the case of the former it may have just been because his father did not go too deeply into detail with the mushy parts. The young Uzumaki was just not aware his father had been omitting them due to their age.

Both were very pleased though to finally hear how their parents admitted their love for each other for the first time. Theirs was a house filled with love and they heard their mother and father tell them and each other that they loved them everyday.

"From that day on, we were boyfriend and girlfriend and we didn't care what anyone thought about it. Those closest to us accepted it because they knew just how happy we made each other. I can honestly say that your mother falling in love with me and having a family with her has been the best thing that has happened to me."

"Getting to marry the man of my dreams and have wonderful children with him has been the best thing to happen to me as well." A nearby voice called out to them.

There, standing outside the edge of the family room where Naruto did his storytelling was Uzumaki Momo. Her long pink hair was still combed to the side and held in place with a hairclip and her charcoal eyes shown with as much love for her family as they always had, maybe even more now. She was wearing a simple green kimono befitting a homemaker but still had the posture of a seasoned kunoichi, ready to strike out at a moment's notice at anyone who wished her harm or would harm those she loved.

In an instant, Hayao and Himeko had ran to their mother, who gave each giggling child a kiss on their forehead. With her two children in her arms, Momo walked up to Naruto and sat beside him, placing their daugher in her lap while their son moved to sit in his father's lap.

"I missed you." Naruto said as he leaned in and kissed his wife on her lips.

"Kissy-kissy!" Himeko said with a girlish squeal while Hayao looked away.

Hearing his parents' tale had strengthen his tolerance to what he felt was "mushy stuff" somewhat, but seeing his own parents kissing was still gross to him.

"Oh, you won't think it's gross when you're old enough to want to kiss a girl." Naruto said to Hayao after he and Momo ended their embrace and he saw his son's reaction to their display of affection.

Hayao looked both shocked and horrified at the possibility of liking girls someday. Himeko had a vindictive look on her face at her brother's reaction that no three year-old should be able to make, Uchiha heritage be damned.

"So, I heard you telling our children one of my favourite bedtime stories." Momo said to Naruto. "It sounded like you left off just before a very good part too."

Naruto desperately wanted to ask her how her check-up went, but did not feel it would be appropriate to do so in front of their children. Momo did not appeared to be hiding any signs of distress, in fact she seemed quite happy so Naruto figured whatever news she had was definitely not bad.

"Yeah, I was just about to tell them about how we finally got married." Naruto said, smiling in relief that Momo was fine.

"Aww, that means the story is almost over." Momo said, pouting slightly in a manner that Naruto found made it hard to resist kissing her. "Well, in that case, I'm taking over until the end! I won't need this just yet either." Momo declared, setting aside _The Fruits of __Our Love_ for the time being and addressing the children. "The story of how I knew I wanted to someday marry your father goes back all the way to the day I first met him and wanted to learn everything there was about Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait but I hope the length makes up for it.

Another sorry if some parts scream "show, don't tell", but I feel that is a problem that every author faces. It's knowing where to summarize and where to go into detail that separates the good writing from the bad, but only experience will help an author know just where to do so. I decided to just focus on the direct Naruto/Momo interaction and leave most of the rest to the reader's imagination to help fill in the details. Otherwise, this chapter could be several tens of thousands of words long.

For those interested in Momo's new look, there is a link to a drawing of her in my profile.

As it stands, there should be two chapters left now. The next will focus on Naruto and Momo's wedding and the events leading up to it while the last chapter will deal with the births of their children.


End file.
